


The War at Home

by sparkyCSI (Lexi_the_dragon_muse)



Series: The FBI Files [4]
Category: CSI: NY, Criminal Minds
Genre: Depictions of School Violamnce, F/M, Terroristic Organizations, evil clowns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-16
Updated: 2017-05-11
Packaged: 2018-10-19 19:28:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 39
Words: 90,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10646508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lexi_the_dragon_muse/pseuds/sparkyCSI
Summary: Part of The FBI Files Series-The crime lab helps out an FBI agent hunting a dangerous gang...Please read and review! DannyOC, FlackLindsay later chapters.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. So here is the first chapter! Important notice. This is a sequel to Déjà Vu, which was a sequel to A Time to Heal, so if you haven’t read those, you may get a little lost! I will say that I have no clue about how long this will be!

Chapter 1.

 

** Weight of the World **

 

It had been close to two months since Special Agent Cory Reid had gotten her mother back from near death at the hands of a Columbian drug cartel.  While she had been ecstatic to have Alexis home safe and sound, she couldn’t get her paranoia in check.  Ever since Alexis had left New York, Cory called her every single day to make sure she was safe.  She was worried that the organization that Montoya had been involved in was going to try to murder Alexis for knowing about them.

 

Thinking along those lines, she picked up her phone and dialed the familiar number.

 

_“Hi, Cory.  Listen, I’ll have to call you back; I’m in the middle of a meeting,”_ Alexis said in hushed tones.

 

Cory smiled.  “All right.  Just call me whenever.  I wanted to see how you were.”

 

_“I’m fine; Cory and you really don’t need to call me every day.  I promise, that if something happens, you will be the first to know,”_ Alexis replied in a slightly exasperated tone.

 

Cory completely ignored the tone of her mother’s voice and just murmured that she would talk to her later as Lydia walked into the room, carrying an envelope.  “Hey, Lydia.  What do you have?” she asked her friend and fellow agent.

 

Lydia smiled at her before handing over an envelope.  “Package came addressed to you.  The mail room ran it through the usual tests, but nothing raised a flag.”

 

Cory looked at the plain manila envelope that was hand addressed to her, with no post mark.  She looked at Lydia with an eyebrow raised.  “No return address or postage?  Did anyone get a look at whoever dropped it off?”

 

Lydia shook her head as she took a seat in the chair across from Cory.  “Nope.  It was slipped in with the regular mail.”

 

“Interesting,” Cory muttered as she carefully opened the envelope.  A single piece of paper fell out.  Picking it up, she began to read it out loud.  “Columbine was just the beginning.  Be prepared for the new revolution.”  Cory shook her head.  “Gee.  Can you be any more vague?”

 

Lydia, however, had gone rigid with tension.  “Columbine?” she asked softly with underlying emotion.  “I had a friend from summer camp who was killed in that.  I’d give anything to be able to stop something like that again.”

 

Cory looked at her friend, understanding the drive to stop something.  “Lydia?  We get threats like this all the time and they are all just pranks.  If it was serious and the person really wanted to make a major threat, they’d send it to the media or there would be a manifesto.  Trust me this is nothing.”

 

Lydia thought back over to the cases that she had worked since becoming part of the Dangerous Organizations unit and slowly nodded her head in agreement.  “You’re right.  Things like this just get under my skin.”

 

“I completely understand.  Kinda like me and Mexican gangs.  We all have our buttons, we just have to be able to keep a rational mind,” she advised.

 

Lydia nodded she got up to walk out of the office.  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

 

Cory smiled as she filed the letter away since even though she didn’t think it was a true threat, she wasn’t going to risk anything if it turns out that the threat was real.

 

\----------------------------------

 

A few days later, Cory was working hard in her office when she heard a knock at her door.  She looked up and smiled to see Stella standing there.  “Hey,” she returned.

 

Stella brushed her curls behind her shoulder and smiled at the FBI agent.  “Hey, yourself.  I wanted to see if you were free for lunch.”

 

Cory nodded.  “Yup.  Just let me finish this up and I’m all yours,” she responded motioning to the pad of paper in front of her where she was making notes about the rising gang activity.  She made a couple of more notations then grabbed her purse.  “What’s up?” she asked as the walked out of her office.

 

“Why does something have to be up to want to have lunch?  You did ignore your friends for close to two months!  I could just want to catch up,” Stella said slyly.

 

Cory rolled her eyes before grinning.  “My instincts are telling me that this is more than that.”

 

Stella laughed.  “Your instincts are right.  I want to plan a baby shower for Lindsay and since she’s on shift today and I’m not, she won’t know that I’m here.”

 

“Good plan,” Cory smirked.  “I just wish we knew what sex the baby is.”

 

Stella shook her head in agreement.  “Yeah, but Lindsay and Flack have decided that they want to be surprised.”

 

“Great,” Cory returned crinkling her nose.  “So, yellow, green, purple are in, blue and pink are out!”  She shook her head; they had walked to their normal café.  Cory smiled at the waiter, Craig, and he brought then their normal drinks; a Dr Pepper for Cory and an iced tea for Stella.  “So, when do we want to have this shindig?  Obviously, Lindsay’s family will probably want to be involved.”

 

Stella nodded.  “I’m thinking late May.  She’ll be getting close to her due date and that will allow for time for the people coming in from out of town to book flights, hotel and etcetera.”

 

Cory nodded.  “We can definitely have it at my place.  I’ll kick Danny out for the day.  Maybe send him to have some quality time with the boys.  We don’t get to do that very often anymore,” she mused.  “Huh.  We really need to have a night out soon.  Before Lindsay gets too big to want to go out.”

 

“So, how do we pull this off without her knowing about it?” Stella asked.

 

Cory smirked.  “Oh, just leave that to me.”

 

Stella laughed, knowing how much Cory loved to plan a party as they began to discuss exactly what they wanted to have at it.

 

\----------------------------------

 

When Cory got home that night, she was surprised to find Danny cooking dinner.  “Danny?  I thought you were working tonight?”

 

Danny smiled as he looked at her.  “I was going to, but Mac says that I’m maxed out on overtime this month, so until May first gets here, I can’t work anymore OT.”

 

Cory smiled.  “Well, I can’t say that I’m disappointed!  I’ve missed spending time with you.  We need to have a real date, soon.  It’s spring!”  Cory exclaimed with excitement in her voice.  “Why don’t we go to Coney Island again?  We can schedule it on a day when we don’t have to work the next day and stay out as late as we want!”

 

Danny laughed as he began to dish up the spaghetti.  “We can do that.  I can show you my prowess on the midway.”  He decided to change the subject.  “So how is your mom?”

 

Cory rolled her eyes.  “I think she’s tired of me calling her, but it’s something that I just have to do.”

 

Danny studied her, concern darkening his eyes.  “Cory, _bella,_ you’ve got to let it go.  You need to back off on your mom or she’s going to refuse to talk to you.”

 

Cory eyebrows drew together.  “I can’t, Danny.  It’s a feeling.  That bastard Etienne,” she snarled, “is going to try something.”

 

Danny sighed.  “If he does, he does.  You calling your mom every day is only going to drive her away.  Look, your mom is not a stupid person.  She wouldn’t have survived being kidnapped if she wasn’t.  She knows that Etienne is going to want to find out exactly how much damage that she could do to whatever organization that he is working for.”

 

Cory’s eyes flashed in her anger.  “You think I don’t know that!  Why the hell do you think I call her every day?  I’m terrified of losing her and…” Cory trailed off, putting her head in her hands.  “God, I’m obsessed with this case.  This is worse than when I was trying to pin down Ortiz.  At least with him, I knew something!”

 

Danny reached across the table and grasped her hand lightly.  “ _Bella,_ you can’t do anything.  Interpol has no idea of who this man is.  The only picture was of the back of his head!  Even the sketch that the FBI did with Alexis didn't pinpoint anyone that has even been on the radar before.”

 

“I know.  That’s why I’m so obsessed,” Cory replied, her voice muffled.  Slowly, she lifted her head and stared into Danny’s caring blue eyes.  “Fine,” she conceded, “I’ll make an effort not to bug Mom anymore than I need to.  You happy now?”

 

Danny smirked.  “I little bit, but I just don’t want you to drive yourself crazy about something you have no control over,” he said, still rubbing her knuckles lightly with his thumb.  “I love you.”

 

“I love you too, Danny,” Cory replied, feeling some of the tension lift out of her body.  “Now, let’s finish dinner and start working on the wedding plans again!”  Danny groaned.  “Come on, Danny.  We’ve decided to move the wedding to next May since that was the first time we could get a place to hold the ceremony without getting married in Texas.”

 

“I know, I just don’t want you to get all stressed out again,” he muttered.

 

Cory grinned widely.  “I won’t.  Remember, I’ve planned a wedding before and now that I have Mom’s help, it’ll go smoothly. The only thing that you have to help me pick out is the food for the reception.”

 

Danny’s eyes lit up at the mention of food.  “All right, I can do that!”

 

Cory just rolled her eyes again while shaking her head.  “Come on, let’s go catch the game.  The Yankees are playing the Rangers today and I want to watch New York win!”

 

Danny shook his head and he got up to follow her into the living room.  “I don’t get it.  You cheer for every other Texas team except the Rangers?”

 

Cory smiled.  “I still cheer for them, just not when they’re playing the Yanks,” she replied cheekily as she turned on the TV.

 

Danny just laughed as he settled next to her.  _Life is perfect,_ he thought with a smile.  Little did he know that storm clouds were gathering on the horizon and they were in for the proverbial perfect storm.


	2. Title Page

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank yous o much to Soccer Bitch for the image!!!!!!!


	3. Chop Suey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to System of a Down.

Chapter 2.

 

** Chop Suey **

 

The following week flew by for Cory.  She decided to take Danny’s advice and she backed off on calling her mother so much. She had only called her twice since her conversation with him, so when the cell phone rang and she saw that it was Alexis, she picked it up with a smile.  “Hi, Mom.  How are you?” she greeted her.

 

_“I’m fine, sweetie, but I’m a little concerned that you haven’t called me,”_ Alexis responded sounding nervous.

 

Cory smiled.  “Danny finally convinced me that I was driving you crazy, so I’m trying to back off.”

 

Alexis let out a sigh of relief, her worry that something was going on with her oldest daughter easing.  _“Oh, that’s good.  I was also calling to see if you had gotten my list of possible reception sights for the wedding.”_

 

“I did, but I’m not sure that I want something that fancy.  It just…” she trailed off, the memory of the lavish reception she had planned for her wedding to James coming back to haunt her.  “It’s just that I feel like I’ve already done that, and I want this to be fun for everyone.  I don’t want people worrying that they have to be part of a high society wedding.”

 

_“But, sweetie,”_ Alexis started.

 

“No buts, Mom,” Cory interjected.  “I’m not that high society girl anymore.  She’s long gone.  Plus that would draw tons of publicity and I hate being in the spotlight.”

 

Alexis shook her head before conceding to Cory, _“All right, I understand.  As long as you are happy, then I’m happy.”_

 

“Thanks, Mom.  How is Beth doing with her new job?”

 

_“She loves it.  Did she tell you that she is working on a side project as well?”_ Alexis responded.

 

Cory’s eyebrows furrowed a bit, trying to remember if her sister had told her anything.  “Nope.  What’s she doing?”

 

_“She’s working with the Dallas County DA’s office to try to overturn wrongful convictions.  They’ve been very successful so far,”_ Alexis said, pride in her youngest daughter’s accomplishments evident in her voice.

 

“That’s great!” Cory exclaimed, happy that her sister was making her own mark on the world.  “I’m so happy for her.  When I get some time off in a couple of months, I’ll have to fly down there and take her out for a celebration dinner.”  Cory looked up at the knock on her office door.  Lydia was standing with a concerned look on her face.  “Look, Mom.  I hate to cut you off, but work is intruding.  I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

 

_“Okay.  I love you sweetie and stay safe,”_ Alexis told her.

 

“I love you, too.  And I always try to be safe,” Cory said as she disconnected the call.  She looked at Lydia, who had sat in her chair.  “I don’t like the look on your face.”

 

Lydia nodded.  “Another envelope, like the one you got last week that mentioned Columbine.  I brought it straight here,” she said somberly as she handed over the envelope.

 

Cory bit her lip, a bit of trepidation seeping into her gut.  Carefully, she opened the envelope to have piece of paper fall out.  She picked it up and began to read aloud, “Heed my warning, the revolution is here and it began with Charles Whitman.”

 

Lydia shook her head.  “Who in the world is Charles Whitman?”

 

Cory, however, felt the blood drain from her face.  “He was the sniper in the observation tower,” she muttered, fear crawling up her spine.  She looked at Lydia who looked confused.  “1966, the University of Texas at Austin.  It was the first incidence of gun violence at a school.  He killed fourteen people and wounded thirty-one others.  When I joined the Bureau in Dallas, we had a whole training class on it.”

 

Lydia looked at her, the magnitude of what the letters were saying coming forth.  “This isn’t a prank, is it?  This is a cry for help.”

 

Cory shrugged.  “A cry for help?  I don’t know.  But I think it may be an indicator for something that is beginning.”  She quickly pulled out a couple of evidence bags; living with Danny had ingrained some habits into her.  “Let’s get these to the lab and see if they can find anything on it.”

 

Lydia nodded and somberly they proceeded to bag the evidence to send it to the FBI lab in Quantico.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Danny had just gotten to the lab, when Lindsay greeted him, her pregnancy showing clearly.  “Hey, Montana.  What’s up?”

 

Lindsay sighed in exhaustion.  “I’m tired of being in the lab, but I know that I can’t go out in the field, but I came to tell you that Mac has a case for you,” she said as she smiled.  “Flack’s going to pick you up and you guys can head to the crime scene.”

 

“Anything unusual about the scene that you know of?” Danny questioned.

 

Lindsay shook her head.  “Run of the mill robbery gone bad from what I’ve heard,” she replied as she turned to head to the break room to get her a cup of tea.  “Lord, what I wouldn’t give for a cup of coffee right now,” she muttered under her breath as she strode away.

 

Danny watched her walk away just as Flack walked up to him.  “You ready?” Flack asked.

 

Danny nodded his head towards Lindsay.  “I am, but is it me or is she really grouchy lately?”

 

Flack sighed.  “It’s not you,” he muttered lowly.  “I think it’s just the hormones talking.  I mean she’s due in about two months and her feet swell all the time, she misses her caffeine and as she puts it, she has to pee every two minutes.  I just think she’s really uncomfortable.”

 

Danny patted his friend on the shoulder.  “I’m sorry.”

 

Flack shrugged it off as they got onto the elevator.  “Don’t worry about it.  At least she doesn’t burst into tears at the drop of a hat anymore.  I can handle it and I can’t wait for the baby to be born.”

 

Danny glanced at Flack, seeing the look of awe on his face and feeling a bit envious.  He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.  “I just can’t wait to make it official with Cory.  After everything we’ve been through…” he trailed off.

 

“You scared that she’s gonna leave you at the altar?” Flack asked with a frown. 

 

“Nope.  I’m scared that one of us is going to die before we make it to the altar,” Danny admitted.  “You have to admit, both of us have been hurt more times than we can count.”

 

Flack shrugged.  “But you’ve made it through it,” he said as he unlocked the car and they got in.  “I gotta believe that the wedding will happen.”

 

“Thanks, Don,” Danny said feeling a bit better.

 

“Don’t worry about it.”

 

Thirty minutes later, they were to the crime scene.  Danny grabbed his kit and began to photograph the scene, while Flack began to interview the witnesses and the bodega owner.

 

“So, Mr. Chen,” Flack began as he started to question to owner, “can you tell me what exactly happened?”

 

“Stupid guy tried to rob me!” the small Asian man said with disbelief in his voice.

 

“Okay, so he tried to rob you, but what happened after that?” Flack asked trying to stay patient.

 

“Man came in, wanted to buy a pack of cigarettes.  Then he wanted to show me a trick.  He said he could hypnotize me.”  Flack fought down an urge to roll his eyes.  “So, I said sure.  If you hypnotize me, I’ll give you a free pack of smokes.  The next thing I know, I look down and see that I’m holding the shotgun and the guy is dead.”

 

Flack raised an eyebrow in disbelief.  “So, how do you know that he tried to rob you if you don’t remember what happened?”

 

“I wouldn’t shoot a good customer!” he man replied indignantly. 

 

Flack just shook his head.  “Look, you need to come down to the station and once we get the surveillance footage we can put together what happened,” he said as he helped the man into the back of a squad car.  Shaking his head after the man was in place, he walked over to Danny.  “Man, you ain’t gonna believe this.  Owner says that the vic tried to rob him by hypnotizing him and he doesn’t remember what happened because of it.”

 

Danny looked at him, smirking.  “Gotta love New York.  I have to say, I’ve never heard that one before and I thought I’d heard it all.”  He gestured to the evidence that he was collecting.  “I won’t know what to make of this until we can process it at the lab first.  I’ll have Adam run the surveillance footage and see what we can find there.”

 

Flack nodded.  “I’m going to go run a background check on the vic and our owner.  See if they have any history together.  I’m just not buying the ‘I was hypnotized’ defense.”

 

Danny laughed and waved to Flack as he left and then turned back to finish processing the scene.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Cory made copies of both of the notes before bagging them to send to the lab in Quantico.  She and Lydia sat in her office comparing both notes.  “Look,” Lydia said.  “The first note said that Columbine was just the beginning but this one says that it all began with Charles Whitman.  Those cases were close to thirty years apart.  That doesn’t make sense.”

 

Cory nodded.  “That’s true.  We need to get a handwriting analysis done on this to see if the same person wrote it or if it’s more than one.”  She sighed.  “The problem is that I don’t know much about what makes up a school shooter.”

 

Lydia was quiet for a few moments before biting her lip.  “I have an ex that works for the BAU.  Maybe I could ask him to take a look?”

 

Cory looked at Lydia, sensing something else was going on.  “Are you sure?  You don’t look like this is going to be a fun thing for you to do,” she asked her.

 

“It’s fine.  We just didn’t end on the best of terms.  I wanted something more serious and he said he wasn’t ready,” Lydia confided.  “After we broke up, that’s when I moved to New York.  I requested a transfer the day after it ended.”

 

Cory cocked her head; she had known that Lydia had been assigned to Quantico, but never knew her reason for leaving.  “I don’t want to put you in an awkward situation.  I can always officially request their help.”

 

“No, it’s fine.  I’ve moved on and I hope that he has as well,” Lydia told her with a reassuring smile.  “I’ll go make that call.”

 

“Thanks, Lyd,” Cory called after her as she walked out the door.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Danny was bent over a table examining the trace evidence from the bodega scene when Flack walked up to him.  “Whatcha got Messer?” he asked with a smirk.

 

“Everything backs up that Chen is the one who fired the shotgun that killed the vic.  What’d you find?”

 

Flack smirked again.  “Turns out that our vic, one Jason Hamilton and Chen had a long standing friendship that seemed to go south in the last couple of months.  Turns out that Hamilton was a drug dealer and something happened to both of them a couple of months ago.”  Flack paused for a dramatic effect.  “Turns out that Chen’s wife, Ming, died of a drug overdose two months ago and Chen blamed Hamilton for it.”

 

Danny drew his eyebrows together.  “So you thinking revenge killing?”

 

Flack nodded.  “I’m about to bring him into interrogation.  Wanna join me?”

 

Danny nodded with a smile as he packed up the evidence.  Once that was done, he joined Flack in the small room.

 

“So, Mr. Chen, it seems that you weren’t entirely truthful with me.  You knew the victim.  You were friends with him up until two months ago, when your wife OD’d.  Did ya think I wouldn’t find out?”

 

Mr. Chen looked into the stern faces of Danny and Flack and crumbled.  “He killed my wife.  He had to pay for that,” he said with suppressed rage in his voice.

 

“No, the drugs killed your wife,” Flack shot back.  “But you killed him.  Is it really okay for you to spend your life in jail because of that?  What would your wife think?”

 

Mr. Chen just laughed.  “I don’t care.  She was my world.  Without her, life means nothing.  Are you saying that if you’re wife,” he continued pointing to Flack’s wedding ring, “was killed you wouldn’t hunt down the man who killed her?”

 

Flack just looked at the man, knowing that in part he could understand the murderer’s reasoning.  “I don’t know, but I would get my wife help if she was addicted to drugs,” he said honestly.

 

Mr. Chen pursed his lips together in anger.  “I’m not saying anything else without a lawyer.”

 

Sighing, Flack and Danny left the room, each lost in their own thoughts of what would happen if Lindsay or Cory were killed.  Each realizing that they may take the action that the man in the room had taken.  Neither wanting to admit it to the other.


	4. Forgiven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Alanis Morissette.

Chapter 3.

 

** Forgiven **

 

Lydia was sitting at her desk, a few days after receiving the second note referencing a possible school shooting, staring at her phone nervously.  She had told Cory that it wouldn’t be a big deal to call Morgan, but now that she was about to do it, she was uncertain.  _Okay, Lydia.  You can do this,_ she thought.  Taking a deep breath, she dialed the once familiar number.

 

 _“Morgan,”_ a deep voice answered.

 

“Hey, Derek.  It’s Lydia,” she responded, not allowing her nervousness to show.

 

Two thousand miles away, Derek Morgan, profiler for the Behavior Analysis Unit stared at his phone in shock.  _Why is Lydia calling me,_ he thought in confusion.  _“Lydia?”_ he said, a little bit of shock showing in his voice.

 

Lydia furrowed her brow, misinterpreting his question.  “Lydia Sanchez,” she said softly.

 

_“I know who you are.  I just never expected to hear from you again.  We didn’t end things on the best of terms.”_

 

Lydia sighed.  “I know, but that was two years ago, Derek.  I’ve moved on with my life and I am dating a wonderful man.”

 

Morgan felt some sadness at her calm statement, not sure he was completely over her, but willing to put the past behind him just as she had done.  _“All right.  What can I do for you?”_

 

Lydia drew in a breath.  “I need your help.  My boss has been getting letters that seem to indicate that we might have a school shooter, but something seems off to the both of us.”

 

Morgan listened intently.  _“What are these letters saying?”_ he asked, all business.

 

“The first one referenced Columbine.”  Morgan drew in a quick breath, knowing how hard that had to have been for her.  “The second,” Lydia continued, “actually referenced the Tower massacre at the University of Texas in Austin in 1966.  But both of them stated that this was just a beginning.”

 

Morgan thought for a moment, walking away from his crime scene so that he would not be distracted.  _“Do you know if they were written by the same person?”_ he asked finally.

 

Lydia sighed.  “We don’t know.  My boss, SSA Corinne Reid, sent all the evidence to Quantico for analysis, but you know how long that will take.  I was hoping that maybe you could take a look and then get back to me with your impressions.  I know you won’t have anything concrete, but just a general idea of what you feel would be greatly appreciated.”

 

Morgan sighed.  “I can, but I’m in Nevada on a case right now.  It will have to be when I get back.”  Lydia sighed in disappointment, her gut telling her that there was no time to waste.  Morgan heard her sighed and made a decision.  “Tell you what, I’ll have my tech review the file and see if she can shed any light on it.  She reviews a lot of stuff like that and may be able to forward it to me.  Just give me a couple of days.”

 

A smile broke across Lydia’s face as relief washed over her.  “Thank you, Derek.  I really appreciate this.  Do you still have my cell number?”

 

“I do and you’re welcome.  I’ll talk to you later,” he replied as he hung up the phone.  He turned to look at his colleague, Dr. Spencer Reid, who had come up beside him.  “Reid?”

 

Reid just shook his head.  “We’re getting ready to leave.  Hotch thinks that he might have an idea to where the UnSub is keeping the women,” he replied calmly before staring at Morgan.  “Bad news?”

 

Morgan sighed.  “No, just a friend needing some help.  I just never thought that I’d ever hear from her again,” he answered as he hit his speed dial.”

 

 _“Hey sexy.  What can I do for you today?”_ tech Penelope Garcia answered.

 

Morgan smiled.  Garcia always put him in a good mood.  “Hey baby girl.  I need a favor.”

 

 _“Anything for you sweet cheeks,”_ Garcia replied while playing with her pen.

 

“SSA Corinne Reid submitted some evidence to the lab at Quantico.  I need you to see if it’s been processed and if you can get me copies of it.”

 

 _“Done and done.  Is this for the missing girls?”_ she asked curiously.

 

Morgan shook his head while responding, “No it’s for a favor.  Just hit me up when you get the info.”

 

 _“Always,”_ Garcia replied as she hit the release button on the phone with her pen.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Danny shivered as he walked into the fast food restaurant’s freezer to gaze at the dead woman on the floor.  A layer of frost covered her body, giving a white cast to her dark brown hair, making her look like a ghost.  He looked at Angell who was stamping her feet lightly, trying to keep warm.  “What do we have?”

 

Angell nodded as she gestured to the huddled group of employees who wore expressions ranging from shock to disbelief on their faces.  “The morning shift came in to open up the store for breakfast and found her.”  She flipped through her memo book.  “Angela Cummings, night shift manager.  According to the employees who were on shift when she came in yesterday, she was in a good mood.  No problems that they know of, but we haven’t gotten in touch with the night shift that was here last night.”

 

Danny nodded and looked around.  “I don’t see signs of a struggle in here, so she must have been killed elsewhere and this is just where they hid the body.  Sid’s probably not going to be able to give us a good TOD.”

 

“That would be correct,” Sid said from the doorway.  “With her body being put in a freezer it’s going to be nearly impossible for me to pin down a time of death.  I suspect that you will get a more accurate assessment from your investigation.  I should be able to give you a preliminary cause of death, though,” he said as he knelt down next to the body.

 

Danny smirked.  “Cause of death would be helpful, since I have no idea where she was killed.”  He sighed as he made a realization.  “Damn.  I’m going to have to process the entire restaurant by myself.  I wish Lindsay was still in the field, but she’s stuck in the lab until the baby is born and Mac, Stella and Hawkes got called out to a multiple homicide in the Bronx.”  Danny turned and looked at the door when he heard a throat clearing. 

 

“That’s why I’m here,” Adam said nervously, thinking back to the last time he processed as scene and became a hostage.  “Mac called and told me to meet you here.”

 

Danny nodded in gratitude as Sid stood up.  “From my preliminary assessment, I’d say she was strangled from the bruises around her neck, but I’ll know more when I get her back to the morgue,” he said while motioning to the two men in the standard issue coroner’s overalls to load her onto the stretcher.

 

“Thanks, Sid.  Just let me know,” Danny replied as he began snapping pictures of the scene without the body in them.  “Adam, start in the dining room and began processing the front of the restaurant.  I’ll take the back.”

 

Adam nodded before heading out of the freezer.

 

Danny finished photographing the scene, then closed the freezer door and pulled out his flashlight.  Methodically he moved through the small area, looking for signs of anything unusual.  Occasionally, he stooped down a picked up a hair that was stuck to the floor, bagging it.  Once done with the floor, he moved on to the boxes of food on the shelves.  He slipped on his goggles, looking for signs of biological matter, hoping to find signs of blood.

 

After fifteen minutes of searching, with his nose freezing, he was ready to give up.  Other than a few drops of blood around the body, there was nothing else present.  He stood up, pushing his goggles on the back of his head, before beginning to walk back to the freezer door.  He was almost to the door when his foot slipped.  He dropped his case and put his hand out to catch himself, causing the box that he had landed on to collapse.

 

Puzzled, he picked himself up and looked into the box, only to find it was empty, but there was an unusual black residue coating the inside the box.  Carefully, he rubbed his finger in it and carefully sniffed it.  His eyes widened as he recognized the scent.  _What the hell is gunpowder doing in this freezer?_

 

\----------------------------------

 

Cory was staring down at her reports in shock.  _Okay, I get an overall increase in gang activity.  It’s to be expected since Montoya is out of the picture, but a_ drop _in inter-gang warfare?  That’s not right,_ she mused as she tried to process the news.  A knock on her door interrupted her train of though.  “Hey, Lydia.  What’s up?”

 

Lydia smiled as she walked in and sat down.  “I just got off the phone with Derek,” she started and then looked at Cory’s confused look.  “He’s my ex from the BAU.”

 

“Oh, okay.  So what did he have to say?”

 

“Well, he’s in Nevada on a case right now, but he said that he would have his tech get copies of what you sent and try to get back to me in a couple of days.”

 

Cory sighed in relief.  “Oh, good.  I just don’t have a good feeling about this.  It’s too random.”

 

Lydia nodded.  “I know what you mean and I agree with what you said when you got the first note.  Most school shooters don’t advertise what they are going to do, because then they get caught before they can complete their revenge and usually commit suicide.  Why do they want attention and more importantly, why do they want _your_ attention.”

 

Cory shook her head.  “I know.  That’s what is puzzling me.  How would a typical school shooter know me enough to address the note to me?”  She exhaled in frustration.  “But, that’s the least of my problems right now.”

 

Lydia caught the edge in her voice and scooted forward in her seat.  “Okay, what’s going on?”

 

Cory looked at the younger woman, with an unreadable expression.  “Gang violence is up.”

 

“Okay, but that’s to be expected as the remaining gangs wrestle for control of Montoya’s empire.”

 

Cory sighed.  “But that’s just it.  There should be more gang warfare as the different gangs should be fighting each other to get that control.  That’s what happened when I took down Ortiz.  But there’s not.  The inter-gang wars have all but ceased.”

 

Lydia drew her brows together.  “You’re right, that is unusual.”

 

Cory shook her head.  “And I don’t have any good informants right now.  Somehow, all of them have been killed in “accidents”.  Someone is getting control of the gangs and I don’t like that.  Who could possibly be powerful enough to stop gang rivalries?” 

 

Lydia just shrugged.  “I don’t know, but is this unique to New York or are other cities experiencing the same thing.”

 

“So far, it’s just New York, but I did send emails out to the other agents in charge across the country, so they can get back to me if they see any signs of change.”  She exhaled.  “But, onto happier topics.  Are you going to be able to come to Lindsay’s baby shower?  It’s in two weeks.”

 

Lydia smiled.  “Of course and I have the cutest gift so far!  Has she told anyone if it’s going to be a boy or a girl yet?”

 

Cory shook her head.  “They decided to be surprised, so I’m going with neutral gifts, including a good supply of diapers.”

 

Lydia laughed.  “That’s always a good gift,” she began as Cory’s phone rang.  “I’ll let you get back to work.  Let me know if you have anything for me.”

 

Cory nodded as she picked up the phone, her mind already racing ahead to what she was going to do about the unusual gang activity.  “Thanks.”


	5. Matters of Blood and Connection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Dashboard Confessional.

Chapter 4.

Matters of Blood and Connection

Adam processed the public areas of the fast food restaurant, mentally flinching anytime someone walked into the room. I’ve got to get over these nerves! He tried to shake off the uneasy feeling of being watched as he glanced around the room. He had processed the front of the restaurant, coming up with what seemed like millions of fingerprints. Shaking his head in frustration, and disgust at the number of prints he pulled from a supposedly clean store, Adam moved towards the kid’s playground.

As he dusted the surface of the tables, he noticed immediately that there were fewer fingerprints in this room. As he moved towards the ball pool, he noticed a small drop of what appeared to be blood. He quickly withdrew a swab and dabbed the spot before spraying it. Blood, he thought with a frown as the swab turned pink. Maybe this is where the fight began, but if so, why is there no other evidence?

Going with his gut feeling, Adam shifted his focus to the ball pool itself. Pulling out the Luminal, he sprayed the balls and watched as they began to show traces of pink all over them. Carefully, he leaned over the side and began to shift through the balls. He crawled into the pool and was through the first part of it when Danny walked in. 

“I knew you were a kid a heart, but I didn’t expect to find you playing in the ball pool,” the more experienced CSI teased.

Adam looked up and just rolled his eyes at him. “I found blood by the pool and then traces of blood in the pool itself.”

Danny nodded as he watched Adam continue processing. “I found traces of gunpowder in the freezer.”

Adam looked up. “Someone fired a gun in there?”

Danny shook his head. “Nope. It was in an empty box of meat.”

Adam was about to comment when he felt his foot strike something solid. He looked at Danny, a sick feeling forming in his stomach. “Um…” he said in shock.

Danny frowned at him. “What?”

Adam just looked at him as he began to shovel the balls out of the pool, to uncover a dead body. “I think we need to call Sid back,” he stated simply, trying to control his nausea. 

\----------------------------------

Cory had just glanced at the clock, realizing that she was going to have the rare pleasure of going home early when her phone rang. “Reid,” she answered briskly. There was no answer, but she could hear someone breathing on the other end of the line. “Hello?” she questioned. “Is anyone there?” Finally after no response, she hung up. 

Shaking her head, she gathered up all the papers on her desk and put them in her briefcase, preparing to leave. Just as she got to the door, her phone rang again. “Reid?” Again, she heard no answer, only breathing and her annoyance got the best of her. “Look, if this is a prank call then I’ll trace it and have you arrested,” she snapped testily.

“Agent Reid, I have some information for you on the man you know as Etienne,” a raspy voice stated.

Cory’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Who is this?” she asked bluntly as she sat back down.

“That is need to know information. Right now all you need to know is that I’m a friend,” the man answered calmly. “The question is how much you really want to capture Etienne and his organization.”

Cory drew in a breath. “What do you want in exchange for your cooperation?”

“Nothing, although that is subject to change. When you arrive back at your home, you will find a manila envelope on your doorstep. I’ll be in contact,” he said before he hung up.

Cory stared at the phone for a few minutes, her stomach in knots. Finally, she took a deep breath and marched out of her office, all pleasure at being able to go home early leaving her body.

\----------------------------------

After Sid had taken the newly discovered dead body away, Danny and Adam finished processing the room. After a brief spate of questions, it became clear that none actually knew who the dead man was. Sighing in annoyance, the two CSI’s marked the kid’s playground and freezer with police tape and as they left made sure that the worker’s were not able to go back inside the crime scene. On the drive back to the lab, both mused over their discoveries.

“Okay, so we have a well liked manager, who was in a good mood when she arrived at work and was murdered seemingly by strangulation,” Danny thought out loud. “Then, I found a box that holds traces of gunpowder in it in the freezer.”

“Then I find a dead man, who appeared to have been shot in the back, buried in the ball pools of the kid’s playground. This has to be connected somehow,” Adam finished.

Danny shook his head. “Yeah, but how? I wonder if Angell has had any luck in locating the night crew yet,” he said as he grabbed his phone and dialed her number.

“Hey, Messer. What do you have for me?” Angell answered.

Danny smirked. “Another dead body in the crime scene.”

“What?” she exclaimed in shock. “How did we miss that?”

“Adam found the body in the playground, buried in the ball pool. I also found traces of gunpowder in a box in the freezer. Have you heard from any of the night crew yet?”

“Nope. I’ve been to three houses so far and no one is home. I don’t like the feeling that I’m getting here.”

Danny sighed. “Me neither. What the hell was going on in that restaurant?”

Angell sighed. “I don’t know, but I hope that we can find someone to fill us in. Did you get anything from the surveillance cameras?”

Danny turned his head to Adam. “What’s the status on the surveillance footage?”

Adam looked at him. “I talked to the security company and they promised to send all the footage to the lab. Hopefully, it will be there when we get there,” he answered.

“You get that, Angell” Danny said.

“Yeah. Let me know what you find and I’ll call you if I get anything.” 

“Okay,” Danny said as he hung up.

\----------------------------------

As Cory rode the elevator up to her apartment, several things were going through her head. Could this be a trap? And how the hell do people keep getting into my building to put things on my doorstep? That was the one that that was frustrating her the most, and making her nervous about her own security. Shaking her head, she put those thoughts behind her just as the elevator doors slid open. 

Taking a breath, she stepped into the hall to see the expected sight of a manila envelope sitting on her doorstep. Unconsciously she shivered, her thoughts going to the last time she found an envelope on her doorstep. It had been left by a former lover who had become obsessed with her and had contained a number of pictures that threatened Danny’s life. She trembled as she carefully avoided the envelope and opened the door.

Cory left the door open as she put her bags on the couch and grabbed a pair of latex gloves from the kitchen. She walked quickly back to the door and grabbed the envelope. As she walked towards the kitchen table, curiosity was eating her alive. She tested the flap while she walked and found it was sealed tight.

Rolling her eyes, she dropped it on the kitchen table and turned to find her scissors. She dug through a couple of the kitchen drawers before remembering that she had taken them into the spare bedroom to do some gift wrapping. Sighing in frustration, she grabbed a knife instead.

Quickly, she slit the bottom of the envelope and when she turned it right side up again a stack of papers and a glossy 8x10 portrait of a man fell out.

Curious, she looked at the picture, getting a sense that she knew who this was. Staring intently at the picture, she got an idea and went to her briefcase, to extract the ever present case file on her mother’s kidnapping. She quickly withdrew the sketch of the man her mother had called Etienne, a person who worked for the as of yet nameless organization that Montoya was being controlled by. From what her mother had told her, he was the man that was pulling the strings on Montoya and when Montoya’s obsession of her mother started to make him make mistakes, he was ordered to kill them both. Thankfully, Montoya—in a rare moment of unselfishness—had saved her mother, before being killed by a bomb that tore apart the boat they were on. It was thought that Etienne had perished in the explosion, but obviously not since the picture was date stamped three weeks after the explosion.

She flipped the picture over, to find the back filled with information.

“Name: Boleslav Kladivo  
Alias’: Etienne Martel, Ivan Barteslavic, Fredrico Martelli, Dominic Caspian  
Date of birth: November 21, 1961 in Prague, The Czech Republic

Former KGB operative before the Iron Curtain fell, then an operative for InterPol. Went rogue in 1992, then became one of the most successful freelance assassins. Whereabouts and loyalties unknown.”

Cory mused over the information, most notably the fact that he was an InterPol operative, which made her question her own InterPol contact, Alistair Murphy, who claimed not to know anything about him. She glanced at the rest of the papers; they mostly seemed to be overviews of his missions, both KGB and InterPol. One paper caught her eye in particular. It was dated just after the Iron Curtain had fallen and it seemed to be a memo of some sort.

She glanced over the greeting, seeing that it was addressed to someone high up in the organization and then read the body of it.

“I contacted Boleslav Kladivo and requested a meeting. After being part of the KGB for close to twenty years, I feel he has some useful intelligence for us. He indicated in our preliminary contact that he would be interested in joining the agency to continue his clandestine work. We met 5 January 1990, in a public place to ensure both of our safety and had an agreeable conversation. He provided some interesting intelligence on operatives on both sides and I feel I must be completely honest here. The KGB knows much more about us than we do of them.

So, I feel that it is in the best interest of this agency to extend a hand of friendship to operatives of the crumbling communist nation in order to secure valuable intelligence.

Sincerely,

Alistair Murphy”

Cory felt her heart plummet into her chest and anger began to rise. You told me you didn’t know who he was! Cory felt like someone had just hit her on the head with a board. She and Alistair had worked many times on cases. She had always been brutally honest with him and had assumed that he had been in return. Oh Alistair, why did you lie to me, she thought as the implications of his deception began to sink in.


	6. How do you feel?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs Ceesau (go Carmine!).

Chapter 5.

 

** How do you feel? **

 

When Danny and Adam got back to the lab, they immediately started to process the evidence they had collected.  Adam left his biological samples with Lindsay and went to the A/V lab to process the security footage that had just arrived from the security company.

 

Danny started processing the gunpowder and left all the blood samples with Lindsay.  “How are you feeling, Montana?”

 

Lindsay smiled.  “Like a beached whale.  Luckily, I’m able to sit down a lot; my ankles have been swelling so much the last week.  What was the scene like?  I heard that you found a second body.”

 

Danny shrugged.  “Actually, Adam found the body in the ball pool of the kids’ playground.  I’m glad he did.  Can you imagine what could have happened if he hadn’t and a kid found him?”

 

Lindsay shuddered slightly.  “Therapy for many, many years.  Not many biological samples, though.  What are you processing?”

 

“Gunpowder that I found in an empty box of meat in the freezer.  Why would gunpowder be in the freezer?”

 

Lindsay smirked.  “The Chinese used to use gunpowder to season meat when salt was scarce,” she told him.

 

Danny stopped and looked at her in shock, before starting to laugh.  “Really?  Wow, that’s just hilarious.  How the hell do you know that?”

 

“Jeopardy.  I was sick one week with the flu and all I did was watch it.  What can I say; I’m a fount of useless knowledge.”

 

Danny just shook his head as the mass spectrometer began to run the gunpowder for a chemical composition.  Within moments, he had his answer.  “Huh.  This composition for gunpowder is not typically used in guns.  It’s used in fireworks; specifically fireworks that come from China.”

 

Lindsay looked at him as her blood samples processed.  “So maybe the box contained Chinese fireworks?  But why would it be in the freezer of a fast food restaurant?”

 

“I don’t know, but somehow I think it’s connected to the dead bodies,” he said as he glanced down at his phone which was starting to buzz.  “That’s Sid.  Looks like he’s done with the autopsies.”  Danny quickly logged his evidence and left for the morgue.  He made a stop by the A/V lab to see if Adam wanted to come with him.  “Adam, Sid has the autopsy results.  Want to join me?”

 

Adam looked up from his computer screen.  “Sure.  I’m not finding anything so far in the footage from last night.”  He made a few keystrokes and then joined Danny.

 

Sid looked up as they walked into the room.  “Ah, Mr. Messer and Mr. Ross, so good of you to join me.”

 

Danny fought the urge to roll his eyes.  “Whadda got for me, Sid?” he asked instead.

 

“Well,” the coroner began while snapping his glasses into place.  “What I have for you is a paradox of sorts.  We’ll start with your unknown man.  Cause of death is obvious, GSW to the back.”  Sid lifted the body up to show the entrance wound.  “The bullet exited through the chest, and left a great deal of damage behind.”

 

Danny watched as Sid lowered the body back.  “Do you have any idea of the caliber of bullet that would make that type of wound?”

 

Sid shook his head.  “Definitely at least a .45 caliber, but maybe something more powerful.  Did you recover a bullet?”

 

Danny and Adam looked at each other while shaking their heads.  “No, I guess we are going back to the scene,” Danny stated.  “Damn, I’d better call Cory and let her know that I’m working late,” he muttered as they turned to the body of Angela Cummings.

 

Sid turned walked around to the other body.  “Ms. Cummings is where the paradox comes in.  She was not strangled as I first determined at the scene, but her neck was broken, severing her spinal cord.  However, that did not cause her death.”

 

Adam looked confused.  “Okay, she survived a broken neck, which should have caused her death, so what killed her?”

 

Sid sighed.  “Unfortunately, I’ve seen this once before.  Her heart was injected with liquid nitrogen, causing it to freeze instantaneously.  Luckily for her, since her spinal cord was severed, she felt no pain.”

 

“Jesus, that’s horrible!” Danny exclaimed.  “You’re right, we saw this last year with the “Ice Queen”.  How did she come into contact with the nitrogen?”

 

“It was administered by a hypodermic needle to her heart.  Someone really wanted to make sure this young woman was dead, gentlemen.  I hope you can find out who did this.”

 

Danny nodded as he and Adam left the morgue, with Danny dialing the phone to give Cory the bad news.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Cory was sitting at the dining room table, still feeling shock over all she had learned about the man who wanted to kill her mother.  She started to gather all of the information back up, after taking pictures of it all, so that she could study the documents later, but her phone interrupted her.  She picked it up, knowing that it was Danny since he had changed his ring tone to _Uptown Girl_ by Billy Joel.  “Hey, _chere_ ,” she answered somberly.

 

 _“Hi,_ bella. _I have to work late today,_ ” he said without preamble.  _“I’ll try to get home as soon as possible.”_

 

Cory blew out a breath; she wanted to go over her discovery with him, but she understood the job.  “No problem, I understand,” she told him.  “I’ll catch up with you when you get home, but I may be in bed.  I have to go in early tomorrow.”

 

 _“Thanks.  I love you,”_ Danny responded, sensing something in her voice, but from her avoidance of any serious topics decided to let it drop.  _“I’ll talk to you as soon as possible.”_

 

“I love you, too.  Bye,” Cory responded before setting her phone down.  “Damn.  Damn, damn, damn,” she muttered.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Penelope Garcia was reviewing the two notes that Agent Reid had sent to the lab in confusion.  She was used to looking at the worst humanity had to offer, but these notes just didn’t seem right to her.  Shaking her head, she dialed Morgan’s number.

 

 _“Hey, baby girl.  Whatcha got for me?”_ Morgan answered.

 

“Hey, tall, dark and sexy.  I took a look at that evidence that you wanted me to and these notes are strange.  I did get the lab results from Quantico, preliminary of course, and it looks like they were written by the same person.  I’m emailing you the copies right now,” she said as she hit the send button on her email.

 

 _“Thanks, baby girl.  I’ll take a look at it.  We did find the girls alive and well, but the UnSub committed suicide.  We should be back sometime tonight, so I’ll go over it on the plane,”_ he told her.

 

Garcia smiled.  “Good, I’m glad to hear it.  I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said knowing that he had to finish his paperwork with the locals.  “Bye, sexy.”

 

Morgan smiled.  _“Bye, baby girl.”_

 

\----------------------------------

 

Danny and Adam arrived back at the restaurant, trying to figure out where the bullet could have landed.  “Did you find any trace of blood other than the drop?” Danny asked Adam.

 

Adam shook his head.  “No, the area was clean.  Actually,” he said with a contemplative look on his face, “it was much cleaner than the other part of the restaurant.  I found hundreds of fingerprints in the dining area, but very few in the kid’s room.  I wonder if someone cleaned it.”

 

Danny looked thoughtful.  “Possibility.  From what I found out about their security system, it only focuses on the register and safe areas.  So, we know that he was shot in the back, maybe trying to leave?”

 

Adam nodded.  “Possible.  There is a door to the street in the kid’s area, so we should concentrate on that area when we search, right?”

 

Danny nodded as he parked the car.  Both men got out of the car and made there way back to the closed restaurant.  Adam had called the manager while they were driving, so the man could let them in.  He was waiting by the door.

 

“I trust that you can clear this mess out so we can open for business tomorrow?” he asked in a sarcastic tone.

 

Danny just lifted an eyebrow.  “Two people murdered on your premises and you’re worried about when you are going to open for business?”

 

The man shrugged.  “While I’m terrible saddened by the murder of Angela, life goes on and I have bills to pay,” he said simply.

 

Danny just shrugged as they walked into the building.  “Gotta love New Yorkers,” he muttered.  As they walked into the room, both men looked around, searching for a bullet hole.  Danny peered around trying to imagine exactly what had taken place.  He envisioned the unknown man running for the door and then jerking as the bullet entered his body.  He walked towards the door, glancing around as he looked for the bullet hole, but finding nothing. 

 

Adam started walking the floor, concentrating on the tables and walls and finally, he saw a bit of dust on the wall that separated the kid’s room from the main dining area.  Stooping down, he shined his flashlight on it.  “I found the bullet,” he said excitedly.

 

“Boom,” Danny replied as he opened his case and got a pair of tweezers out.  “Let’s see if we can get it out and see what it is,” he said as he began the extraction.  Once done, he held up the bit of twisted metal to the light.

 

“Wow,” Adam said.  “That’s the biggest bullet that I’ve ever seen.  What is it?”

 

Danny furrowed his brow.  “I’m not sure, but it looks like maybe an eleven or twelve millimeter.  I’ll really have to study it in the lab to be sure.”  He looked around.  “Why is the bullet here?  This means that he was running towards the dining room, not away and the shooter must have been behind him.”

 

Adam shrugged.  “I have no idea, but I think we really need to find out what happened here.”

 

“Yeah,” Danny responded.  “Too many things are not making sense.  It’s not adding up.”  He quickly bagged the bullet and they began their trip back to the lab, for the second time that day.

 

When they got back to the lab, Adam went back to the A/V lab and Danny went to ballistics, so he could see if he could get anything off of the bullet.  He studied it carefully, looking at the striations as he loaded it into IBIS.

 

“What are you looking at?” Lindsay asked from the doorway. 

 

“The bullet that possibly killed our unknown male in the restaurant.  I’m not exactly sure what it is.”

 

Lindsay walked into the lab to study the bullet.  “Hmm, it’s definitely bigger than a .45, maybe a .458 or a .475.”

 

Danny smirked.  “You’re close.  It’s a 12 millimeter, but it’s a .480.  I’m pretty sure that it’s from a Ruger.”

 

“That’s one hell of a powerful gun,” Lindsay said.  “And it’s not that common.”

 

“I know.  I just hope that there’s a hit in IBIS soon.  When I talked to Cory earlier, she was a little off.  I think something might have happened, but she didn’t seem to want to talk about it.”

 

Lindsay looked a little concerned.  “Maybe she just had a bad day at work.”

 

Danny shook his head.  “I think it’s more than that.”

 

Lindsay patted his arm gently.  “Don’t worry.  She’ll tell you and if she doesn’t, her, Lydia, Taylor, Stella and I are going shopping on Saturday and we’ll get it out of her.”

 

Danny smiled as the computer beeped.  “Damn.  No matches in the database.  I’m going to check in with Adam and then head home,” he said in a somewhat dejected tone.

 

“Okay, good-night.  I’m here until eleven, so I’ll keep processing all the fingerprints for you.”

 

“Thanks, Lindsay,” he said he walked out.  When he got to the lab, he looked at Adam, who looked puzzled.  “What’s that look for, Adam?”

 

Adam looked up.  “The security tapes are blank for a two hour period, from two to four a.m.”

 

Danny just sighed.  “This is not my day.  So I can conclude that since the tapes are blank that our victims where killed during that time.”

 

“That’s my thought, but here’s the weird point.  Angela Cummings left the store at midnight, which was an hour after closing.”

 

Danny shrugged.  “That’s pretty normal.  Usually takes them an hour to finish closing per the other manager.”

 

“I know that, but if she left at midnight, how’d she end up back in the store?” Adam questioned.

 

Danny sighed.  “I have no idea, but I’m going to head home.  Maybe things will make more sense tomorrow.”

 

Adam nodded as he turned back to the tapes, to study them some more.


	7. Secrets Don’t Make Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to From First to Last.

Chapter 6.

 

** Secrets Don’t Make Friends **

 

Derek Morgan studied the notes of a possible school shooter with a jaundiced eye.  In his years with the BAU, he had seen pretty much everything, but even with that experience he knew that Garcia was right.  Something was off.  Yes, the handwriting analysis came back with a high probability that the writer was the same person, but he now understood what Lydia had been talking about.  They didn’t make sense.  Both said that the particular school shooting that they referenced was “the beginning”.  _The beginning of what,_ he wondered.  _And why was this sent to SSA Reid?  She has had no contact with schools, not even at a career day._  

 

Shaking his head, he decided to pull up all the information on Agent Reid that he could.  He needed to know what made her special.  Why the UnSub was focusing on her?  As he skimmed the records, he shook his head at the sheer horrors that the unknown agent had endured.  Her fiancé being killed, being kidnapped—not once, but twice—by members of dangerous gangs, being shot and then the kidnapping of her mother.  He was surprised that she was still with the agency, truth be told.  He glanced at her picture, noticing a slight resemblance between her and Spencer Reid and wondered briefly if they were related, but then focused his attention back on the notes.

 

 _Okay, this is not a normal school shooter.  The profile of that is an outcast who is burning for revenge and usually doesn’t want to survive the experience.  Secrecy is first and foremost.  Rarely do people even realize that they are mentally unstable.  Usually have some sort of grudge against a specific set of people._   He tapped his pen on the table, trying to put some sort of a profile together in his mind.  _So, this UnSub obviously wants attention, but why?  What does the UnSub hope to gain from this?_   That question, he knew, would haunt him until he got more information.  Sighing, he picked up the phone to let Lydia know what he had.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Cory was still awake when she heard the door to the apartment open, signaling that Danny’s single had only turned into a double, instead of a triple.  Sighing, she realized that she had been lying in bed for three hours trying to fall asleep, but her brain just wouldn’t turn off.  She kept going over every conversation that she had with Alistair in regards to Etienne.  She kept feeling like she had been betrayed.  Alistair knew how much she wanted to catch the man that was instrumental in trying to kill her mother, and the fact that he would withhold information from her, cut her to the quick.

 

She turned over and pretended to be asleep when Danny quietly walked into the bedroom.  She had reversed her earlier decision to discuss the new twist in the case with him.  She didn’t want to burden or make him worry about her even more.

 

Danny tiptoed quietly into the room.  He remembered that Cory had told him that she had to go into work early and wanted to let her sleep.  He undressed quietly and slipped into bed, unable to resist pulling her into his arms.

 

Cory sighed softly as Danny’s arms wrapped around her and her back was pulled flush with his chest.  Immediately, her brain began to focus on the contact of skin on skin.  She laid there for a few minutes, focusing on listening as their breaths become synchronized.  She felt Danny’s hand softly moving over her skin and felt the familiar rush of desire was over her and made a decision.  _I know one way to make my brain turn off,_ she thought as she turned in his arms and opened her eyes.

 

Danny felt her stir and looked down.  “I’m sorry,” he said automatically, feeling bad for interrupting her sleep.

 

Cory just smiled as she pulled his head towards her and kissed him deeply, intent on getting her brain to shut down.

 

\----------------------------------

 

When the alarm went off at three, Cory groaned softly.  She opened up bleary eyes and realized that she had been asleep for maybe two hours.  Sighing, she pulled herself out of Danny’s arms and went to get ready. 

 

Thirty minutes later, her wet hair pulled back into a simple French braid, she was walking out of the apartment, into the seemingly quiet streets of New York.  She walked quickly towards the subway, not wanting to take the pains to drive.  She went over how she was going to approach Alistair when she called him.  She knew that she had to approach him carefully.  She didn’t want to alienate him.

 

She was still thinking about her strategy when she got off the subway, making a small detour to Starbucks because she knew that she needed coffee.  Smiling as she walked out of the store, with her Grande Café Au Lait and blueberry muffin, she felt her spirits lifting.  _That is due to the absolute decadence of this muffin,_ she thought as she bit into it and sighed in pleasure.  “Oh, so worth the calories,” she muttered to herself while walking in the back part of the building.  She smiled at the night security man as she walked towards the elevators.

 

Once on her quiet floor, she quickly shut herself in her office.  She looked at the clock, and did the calculation to figure out what time it was in London.  It would be just before ten a.m. there.  She set down her coffee and picked up the phone to make the international call.

 

 _“Murphy,”_ the crisp British voice answered.

 

“Good morning, Alistair,” Cory responded.

 

 _“Ah, Corinne.  To what do I owe the pleasure of your call, well before dawn your time,”_ the older man responded.

 

Cory sighed.  “Well, I have to admit Alistair, I’m a little bumfuzzled.”

 

 _“I’m sorry.  You’re a little what?”_ he questioned her, clearly confused.

 

Cory laughed a little, hoping to lighten the mood.  “I’m confused, Alistair.”

 

_“You and your sayings, Corinne.  What are you confused about?”_

 

Cory bit her lip, trying to think of a way to confront him without being rude.  “Why didn’t you tell me about Boleslav Kladivo?” she finally asked quietly.

 

Alistair felt the blood drain from his face as she mentioned the birth name of Etienne Martel.  He didn’t know how she had found out about him, but much to his relief, his assistant knocked on the door to usher in his ten o’clock appointment.  _“I am sorry, Corinne, but I have a meeting that I must go to.  I’ll ring you later,”_ he said hastily as he hung up the phone.

 

Cory stared at the dead line in shock and anger.  _What the hell just happened?_

 

\----------------------------------

 

When Danny awoke at five, he was unsurprised to find Cory’s side of the bed empty and the sheets cool.  _Huh, I guess she had to go in really early,_ he thought as he got ready for work.  He wanted to be in by seven so that Adam and he could have time to go over the surveillance video.  He had an idea that the reason there was blank time on the tape was because of scheduled maintenance to the system and wanted to make sure.

 

When he got to the lab, he found Adam asleep at his desk, still dressed in the clothes he had worn the previous day.  Shaking his head, Danny plopped down next to him and waved his cup of coffee underneath the younger man’s nose.

 

Adam stirred out of a pleasant dream of the woman he had met at a club, a few days prior.  He opened his eyes, trying to focus and finally saw Danny grinning in front of him.  “What time is it?” he asked sleepily.

 

Danny cocked an eyebrow.  “A little after seven.  You know, you really shouldn’t fall asleep at work; it makes the rest of us look bad.”

 

Adam just smiled as he stretched, popping his back.  “Sorry, I had one of the techs at the security company send me the security feeds from the previous month and must have nodded off.”

 

Danny nodded sympathetically.  “So, I had an idea about the blank time on the tapes.  What if it was for regularly scheduled maintenance?”

 

Adam’s eyes lit up.  “That actually is possible.  I’ll call the company and find out for sure,” he said excitedly.

 

Danny shook his head.  “No, you’re going to go take a shower and change your clothes,” he said sternly.  “I’ll call the company and then check on the trace to see where we are at.”

 

Adam nodded sheepishly as he looked down at his disheveled clothes.  “Okay.  I’ll be right back.”

 

Danny just waved the younger man away as he picked up the phone.  Ten minutes later, he had his answer.  Every month, the security system shut down for two hours to perform back up maintenance.  Danny shook his head.  _Okay.  One question answered, a multitude still left._

 

Sighing, he walked into the trace lab and checked with Kendall about his results.  She winked at him a little, still flirting with him, even though she knew that he was engaged.  He ignored her flirtations and nodded.  “Good morning.  Do you know if we got any results on the trace I pulled from my scene last night?”

 

Kendall leaned to the side and grabbed a stack of papers.  “The bullet had some trace on it.  Gunpowder.  I took the liberty of comparing it to the gunpowder that you pulled out of the freezer and it matches.  I did some work to try to trace the gunpowder back and I did get a hit from the FBI database.  Some fireworks that were reported missing from Port Authority.  It got bounced to the FBI since they are working on a possible weapons smuggling ring that is importing the firearms in through fireworks.”

 

Danny raised an eyebrow.  “Interesting.  How did you get all that info?” he asked curiously.  Usually he was the one that had the FBI hookup. 

 

Kendall smirked.  “I know people, but they didn’t have more information than that.”

 

Danny nodded.  “Right, I’ll see if I can get Cory to work on it.”

 

“Who’s Cory and is he cute?” Kendall asked with a predatory gleam in her eyes.

 

Danny just shot her a look.  “Cory.  Corinne Reid?  My fiancée?” Danny returned as he held back a laugh as Kendall’s face fell.  “She’s pretty high up and she might be able to get some info for me.”

 

“Oh,” Kendall said as she turned back to her work.  “I’d better get on these results for Mac and Stella.  They should be in soon and I want to have them ready.”

 

Danny nodded as he walked out of the room, happy that maybe Kendall had finally gotten the point.  He bumped into Adam, freshly showered, as he walked back to his office.  “Got a possible lead.  The security company confirmed that on a random day each month, they do a backup.  They don’t notify anyone of the backup, so everyone thinks that it is business as usual.”

 

“Interesting,” Adam said, trying to figure out what had happened in the store.

 

“Not as interesting as this,” Danny teased.  “The gunpowder I found in the freezer, was also on the bullet that killed the second vic _and_ it matches some missing fireworks from Port Authority.  Fireworks that the FBI suspects are part of a weapons smuggling operation.”

 

Adam shook his head.  “Wow.”

 

Danny sighed.  “I know.  This is starting to feel like an organized crime hit gone wrong and the store manager maybe got caught in the crossfire?”

 

Adam just shrugged.  “I think we need to identify the unknown victim and maybe it will shed some light on what might have happened.”

 

Danny nodded as he turned towards the lab.  “I’m gonna work on the DNA and fingerprints.”

 

“And I’m going to work on the tapes and see if I can find anything interesting on them,” Adam stated as the two men walked in opposite directions.


	8. Where to Begin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Bowling for Soup!!!

Chapter 7.

 

** Where to Begin **

 

Cory was sitting at her desk, trying to work and keep the thought of Alistair’s betrayal out of her mind, when the phone rang.  “Reid?” she answered curtly.

 

 _“Good morning,_ bella,” Danny said.

 

Cory sighed.  “Good morning.”

 

Danny sensed that either Cory was deep into some investigation or that something had really upset her.  _“Are you okay?”_ he asked.

 

“I’ve been better,” she replied.  “Found out that my InterPol contact lied to me and he actually knows the man that tried to kill Mom.  And now he’s not taking my calls.”

 

 _“I’m sorry, sweetheart,”_ Danny said for lack of anything else.

 

Cory smiled.  “Not your fault, Danny, but somehow I don’t think that’s why your calling.”

 

Danny laughed.  _“Naw, I actually have a question for you.  Do you know who is working on the weapons smuggling through fireworks case?”_

 

Cory shook her head in shock.  “Actually, I just got that case this morning, why?”

 

_“I think my case might be involved.”_

 

Cory leant back in her chair, twirling her pen between her fingers.  “Give me the low down.”

 

 _“Manager at a fast good restaurant was killed.  Neck broken, then her heart was injected with liquid nitrogen.  Then we find another dead body, this one with a GSW to the back and killed by a .480 Ruger.  Turns out there was a box in the freezer that contained gunpowder that was traced back to Chinese fireworks, specifically ones that were reported missing by Port Authority,”_ Danny explained.

 

“Well, that’s certainly interesting.   Can you email the case details?  I really haven’t even had a chance to go over the case file.  Did you find the gun?”

 

_“Nope.”_

 

“Okay.  Give me a day or so and I’ll let you know what I have.  I have to get with the person who was investigating it before and see what they found,” Cory replied, her mind finally moving away from Alistair and on to more work related things.

 

Danny smiled, knowing that he had distracted her from what she had found out that morning.  _“No prob.  Are you getting off early tonight?”_

 

“You dump this on me and think that I’m getting off early?” Cory teased as she laughed.  “Dream on, Messer.  I think I should be home by eight at the latest.”

 

Danny laughed, too.  _“Okay.  I love you.”_

 

“I love you, too,” Cory said before hanging up and pulling the case file towards her.  She began to immerse herself in the facts of the case.

 

An hour later, she was done and rubbing her eyes.  _Okay, so I’ve got an obvious leak at Port Authority.  That’s gotta be it, how else do these thieves know exactly where the fireworks are being stored?  And, now we have to find out how they are being transported out of the city._   She thought a bit more about what Danny had told her.  _Hm.  What if they weapons are being transported out of the city by deliveries to some stores?  They get stored in the freezer, where there is no danger of the fireworks igniting and then they are picked up._

 

She had just started to make notes when a knock on her door interrupted her.  “Hey Cory,” Lydia said as she walked in.  “I heard back from Derek on the notes.”

 

Cory looked up and smiled at the younger woman as she walked into her office.  “What’d he say?”

 

Lydia sighed as she sat down.  “Not much.  He got the preliminary results from the lab and he said that they do think that they were written by the same person.  But he agreed with us that something was off.  Most specifically, why are the notes being sent to you?”

 

Cory nodded.  “I understand and I wish I knew, but that’s going to have to take a back seat for a while.  We have a new case.  Possible weapons smuggling using fireworks.  First, we have to find out why Agent Fitzhugh gave up the case.”

 

“Oh, do tell me more,” Lydia said as settled back in her chair so Cory could bring her up to speed.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Danny was sitting at his desk, grabbing a quick bite for lunch when Adam rushed in excitedly.

 

“I think I found something!” he exclaimed.

 

Danny looked at him and nodded as he stood up.  “What?”

 

“I found some irregularities with deliveries, so I called up the store manager, who told me that all food deliveries are made during the morning hours, so he can log them.  But over the last couple of months, there have been deliveries that were made late at night, after the store closed and all the other employees had left.  Just a few boxes of what looked like meat,” he reported as they walked to the A/V lab.

 

Danny raised an eyebrow.  “So, turns out that our victim wasn’t collateral damage.  She had to be a part of the equation, but we didn’t find anything irregular about her bank accounts.”

 

Adam shrugged.  “Can’t tell you about that, but I think we might find some answers to that in her apartment.”  He motioned to the screen as he hit the play button again.

 

Danny watched as a little after midnight, Angela Cummings opened the back door to the store and let a man in with a dolly that had boxes stacked on it.  Danny paused the playback and enlarged the shot of the boxes.  “They looked exactly like the boxes of meat in the freezer.”

 

Adam nodded.  “Here’s the kicker.  All these deliveries were made the same night that the security company had scheduled the maintenance.”

 

Danny stood up.  “Okay.  We need to get an employee list from the company that shows who exactly knew when the maintenance was going to happen.”  He turned to walk out.  “Why don’t you get that and I’m going to grab Angell and get into Angela Cummings’ apartment and see what I find there.”

 

\----------------------------------

 

Thirty minutes later, Danny and Angell were walking into the dead woman’s apartment.  “Wow,” Angell said in shock.  “This is filthy!”

 

Danny chuckled, looking around at the boxes and trash that littered the surfaces.  “It’s not so bad.  It could be as bad as the cockroach guy,” he said with a shudder.  He looked around and stared at the stack of mail on the table by the door.  He picked the envelopes up and sorted through them.  “I see statements from three banks here.  And two of them don’t have her name on them.”

 

Angell looked on.  “Maybe she’s getting the mail for a friend?” she queried, trying to work out all the angles. 

 

Danny shrugged.  “I don’t know, but before I open the ones that don’t have her name on them, I should at least have proof that they are for her.”  Sighing he put the mail down and then walked farther into the apartment.  He glanced around, looking for anything that was out of place before deciding to walk into the bedroom, which was decidedly cleaner. 

 

He began opening the drawers to the dresser and on the third drawer, found what he was looking for.  “Boom!” he said as he found a host of different driver’s licenses.  One from New York in her name, but he found five more from different states that had a different name on it.  He took pictures of everything before bagging it.

 

After done with that, he looked around again, knowing that with an operation this smooth, she had to be getting instructions from somewhere.  He finally spied a laptop in the living room, buried under the empty boxes of pizza and grabbed that for evidence.  Once fairly sure that he had as much evidence as possible, he walked out of the apartment, where Angell was concluding her interview of neighbors.

 

She smiled as he walked up, his arms laden with evidence.  “Same thing as before when I interviewed them.  She was a nice quiet tenant who never gave anyone trouble.  Half the people that I talked to didn’t even know what she looked like.”

 

Danny shrugged.  “I think I might have found some things to help us, so maybe this wasn’t a wasted trip?”

 

Angell laughed.  “It’s never a wasted trip with you along, Messer.  You’re bound to make things interesting.”

 

\----------------------------------

 

Back at the lab, Adam was going over the list of names that he’d been given by the security company of the people who had access to the dates of the backups.  One name stuck out for him.  Dorian Driscoll.  He hadn’t shown up to work in two days.  He quickly typed the name into the New York stated DMV database to see if he could get a picture and a few minutes later, he had the answer to who the unknown victim was.

 

He picked up his phone and quickly called Danny.

 

_“Messer.”_

“Danny, I know who our victim was.  Dorian Driscoll; he was a programmer with the security company.  He was in charge of scheduling the updates.  In fact, it was his idea to have them random.”

 

 _“Really?  Well, I found multiple ID’s for Angela in different names for five different states.  Can you run her phone records to see if any numbers pop up regularly?”_ Danny responded.

 

“No problem.  I’ll get the cell and landline records from the company,” Adam said. “But, if this operation was as smooth as we think, it’s quite possible that they were using disposable cell phones.”

 

Danny sighed.  _“I know, but I want all angles covered.  Once we get that, I’ll send everything over to Cory, so she can add it to whatever the FBI has right now.”_   He pursed his lips for a moment.  _“The only thing that is bothering me is the lack of a gun.  If this was a professional hit, then why don’t we have any record of the bullet in IBIS?”_

 

Adam shrugged as he made the request for the telephone records.  “Maybe it’s a new gun.  But, I’ll get to work on the phone records and hopefully I’ll have something by the time you get back.”

 

_“Okay.  I should be back in about an hour, depending on traffic.”_

 

Adam grimaced as he hung up the phone, noticing that it was already afternoon.  He sighed a bit and then pulled out his phone, calling the woman he was just starting to date.  “Hey Allison, it’s Adam.  Look, I’m going to have to cancel for dinner tonight because I’m going to be stuck at the lab.  Give me a call when you get this message and maybe we can reschedule it,” he said with disappointment in his voice.  They had only been out on one date, but he knew that he really liked her.  Sighing he put the phone back in his pocket and turned back to the computer screen, hoping to find something to put this case to bed.

 


	9. Breaking at Dead-Ends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Foreverdown!!!

Chapter 8.

 

** Breaking at Dead-Ends **

 

By the time Danny got back to the crime lab, Adam had studied all of the phone records of Angela Cummings.  There was one phone number that had started popping up over the  three months prior, but when he researched the number, he was dejected to see that it was a disposable phone.  He sighed in defeat, knowing that their case was going nowhere fast.

 

When Danny came in, he quickly filled the more experienced CSI in on what he had discovered and watched as he sighed in resignation.  “Well, that’s what we expected,” he conceded.  “Maybe we can get more information off of her computer.  She definitely wasn’t the brains behind the operation and hopefully there is something saved in there.”  Danny handed the computer over to Adam as he said this and turned to walk out of the lab.  “I’m going to grab a bite to eat.  Want me to grab you something?” he called over his shoulder.

 

Adam shook his head.  “Nope, I’m good,” he said as he smiled back.  Allison had called him back and said that she would bring dinner to him since she knew how likely it was for him to forget to eat.

 

Danny nodded and headed out of the lab to try to quell the growling beast that was his stomach at that moment.

 

Adam stared at the laptop and silently prayed that it wasn’t security encrypted.   Not that he couldn’t break the encryption, it would just take more time and he didn’t think he had that kind of time.  He sighed in relief as the computer booted up without needing a password and quickly opened up the email folder.

 

He scanned the content, not seeing anything that looked out of the ordinary and had just about given up hope, when he clicked on an email that looked like spam.  It was simple, just a single line of text that said, _Wednesday, usual time._   He furrowed his brow for a bit until he realized that the woman had been murdered on a Wednesday night, well really Thursday morning.  Smirking, he began to trace the email account and had just finished when Danny walked back in.

 

“Find anything?” he asked.

 

Adam smiled.  “I found an email saying Wednesday, usual time and just finished tracing back the email address.  It was from Dorian Driscoll, but I’m afraid the trail ends there.  It was send from an internet café, and there is no way to trace it from there.”

 

Danny exhaled.  “We need a break.  We really need a break here,” he said in frustration.

 

Adam shrugged.  “It looks like it was a professional hit and those are notoriously hard to solve.  Pros rarely leave any evidence to tie them to the crime.”

 

Danny rubbed the back of his neck.  “I know; it’s just frustrating.”  He looked at the clock.  “I’d better fill Cory in on what we found.  Maybe she has some way to connect all of this.”

 

\----------------------------------

 

Cory was sitting at her desk, staring at the latest note from the person making insinuations of a school shooting.  Lydia was sitting across from her, watching her expression with trepidation.  “What is it, Cory?” she asked.  “What does it say?”

 

Cory drew a breath.  “You have the warning.  Now watch as a new order arises.”  She shook her head.  “How fast can you get this to your ex?”

 

Lydia bit her lip.  “I can fax it to him right now.  I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

 

“Neither do I, but I can’t do anything about it!  There is not a threat of specific violence, so I can’t have the schools locked down and I’ve already warned the school superintendent that there could be violence.”

 

Lydia shrugged as she took the note from Cory, so she could fax it.  “I’ll get this to Derek, but in the meantime what’s going on with the smuggling case?”

 

“Agent Fitzhugh is on vacation in Belize right now and unavailable for comment,” she said sarcastically.  “I don’t know.  I think there’s more to this than him just not wanting the case anymore.  Maybe he found out something that put him in danger,” she theorized.

 

Lydia pursed her lips.  “Maybe, but why not tell anyone about it?”

 

“Fear of repercussions,” Cory replied automatically.  “It was like that with Travis.  He started out working with Ortiz because his family was in danger, but he took it to the next level.  Maybe Fitzhugh knew about that and didn’t want it to progress any further.”  She let out a harsh laugh.  “Hell, I’ve had a target on my back since I became an agent, so I’m used to dealing with that.”

 

Lydia laughed in return as Cory’s phone rang.  “I’ll go talk to Derek and see what he wants to do,” she said as she walked out of the office.

 

Cory just shook her head as she answered her cell phone.  “Hey Danny, you got anything for me?”

 

_“Hi,_ _bella.  Not really, the only things we have are a disposable cell phone and an email trace that leads back to a guy at the security company—our unknown victim.  Everything else is a dead end.”_

 

“Can’t say that I’m not surprised.  Still no trace of the gun?”

 

 _“Nope,”_ Danny drawled.  _“With this lack of evidence, I’m going to have to put the case on the back burner.  So I think I’m going to send you all the evidence and hopefully it will help you with your case.”_

 

“Okay, thanks.  I may be home late tonight.  I have a couple of different cases up in the air that I need to focus on,” she told him.

 

 _“Okay,”_ Danny responded with a little disappointment.  _“I’ll see you when you get home.”_

 

\----------------------------------

 

It took fifteen minutes after Lydia had faxed the latest note to Derek for him to call her.  She smiled as she answered the phone, “Hey Derek.”

 

 _“Hey, Lyd.  When did you get this note?”_ he asked, all business.

 

“Today,” she replied with a sigh.  “I don’t like it.”

 

 _“I understand.  He’s escalating, but there is no specific threat.  I ran it by the team and they said that there was nothing that they could do,”_ he replied.

 

“I expected that.  Cory’s done all she can.  She warned the school district that there may be a threat, but without a specific target there’s nothing they can do either.”

 

Morgan thought for a moment.  _“Listen.  I have some vacation that I’ve been meaning to take.  Why don’t I head up there for a couple of days and see what I can do to help you.”_

 

Lydia raised an eyebrow at that.  “Really?  I don’t think you’ll have any more luck here.  You have all the information that we have.”

 

He chuckled.  _“Maybe I just want to see you and meet this boss that you obviously admire and respect.  I’ve never heard you refer to your boss by their first name before.”_

 

Lydia laughed.  “Oh, Cory has a way of making you do that.  She said that being referred to by her last name annoys her since she’s from Texas.”

 

 _“Still, maybe with all of us working together, we can come up with something,”_ he persisted.

 

Lydia just shook her head.  “Do what you want, Derek.  I can’t control your vacation time.”

 

 _“All right.  I’ll see you in a couple of days,”_ he assured her.

 

Lydia murmured her good-bye and wondered why he was making it a point to come and see her.  _God.  I hope that he doesn’t want to reestablish our relationship.  I’m happy with Sheldon,_ she thought.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Danny was getting ready to leave and was standing by the elevator when a cute blonde walked out, looking lost and carrying what looked like take-out.  Feeling like his normal self, he shot her a grin and asked, “Can I help you?”

 

The blonde looked up and gave him a dazzling smile.  “I hope so,” she said.  “I’m looking for Adam Ross?”

 

Danny shot her another smile, realizing that this must be the woman that Adam had his date with.  “Then by all means, let me show you to him.  I’m Danny Messer,” he said, quickly reversing his direction to guide her towards the break room.

 

“Allison Benoit,” she replied cordially as she followed him.  “It’s nice to meet you.”

 

“Likewise,” Danny responded as they reached the break room.  “Why don’t you wait here?  I’ll go grab Adam.”

 

Allison nodded as she walked into the room and began to set the take-out on the table.  Danny turned and walked to the A/V lab to grab Adam.  He walked in to find the younger man studying the laptop that he had left him, obviously looking for anything that could tie someone who was still alive to the crime.

 

“Hey Adam.  You have a visitor in the break room,” he said as he ambled into the room.

 

Adam looked up from the computer screen.  “Really?  Who?”

 

Danny smirked.  “A very cute blonde that goes by the name Allison.”

 

Adam flushed a bit.  “Oh, okay.  I’ll just go there.”

 

Danny chuckled, remembering what it was like to be in the first stages of a relationship.  “She brought food, so enjoy.  I’m really trying to head home now,” he said as he began to make his way back to the elevator.  He was nearly there when he heard Kendall yell his name.

 

He turned and looked at her with a raised eyebrow.  “What?”

 

She smirked.  “I wanted to catch you before you left.  Guess what was just dropped on our doorstep?”

 

Danny, who was tired and really just wanted to go home, sighed.  “The new Messiah?” he said sarcastically.

 

Kendall rolled her eyes.  “Nope, but good guess,” she returned just as sarcastically.  “Actually, it’s a .480 Ruger.”

 

Danny looked at her in surprise.  “Really?”

 

“Yup,” she said as she turned to head for the ballistics lab.  “I was just going to process it to see if I can find anything.”

 

Danny fell into step next to her.  “Okay.  Does it have a serial number?” he asked, hoping that it would lead them to whoever had purchased the gun.

 

“I haven’t looked at it yet, but since I have a fairly heavy caseload at the moment, I’ll let you process it if you want.”

 

Danny nodded his thanks as he grabbed his lab coat and walked towards where Kendall had placed the gun.  Carefully, he picked it up, studying the gun.  _This is some serious firepower,_ he thought as he looked at the imposing gun.  It had a seven and a half inch long barrel and a chamber for six rounds.  He turned the gun over, looking for the serial number, which was normally on the frame by the trigger and found that it had been removed.  Pushing his glasses on his forehead, he put the gun under the microscope and realized that it had been removed by acid and there was no hope of it being recovered.  He sighed in defeat and he inspected the rest of the gun.

 

It looked as if it had been thoroughly cleaned and when he spread the fingerprint powder over it, he got not results.  He shook his head and he wiped the powder off the gun and went to test fire it.  Carefully chambering a round, he squeezed the trigger and was surprised by the relatively low recoil from it.  “Huh, that’s nice,” he said as he retrieved the bullet.  He put the newly fired bullet under the microscope and without surprise discovered that the bullets did match.

 

Sighing, he rocked back on his heels.  _Whoever is doing this is playing with us,_ he concluded as he stared at the screen trying to make sense of the discovery.

 

 


	10. We’re Having a Baby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Desi Arnez!!!

Chapter 9.

 

** We’re Having a Baby **

 

When Cory awoke on Saturday morning, she was determined to put all the stress of the previous few weeks behind her.  She wanted to smile again.  She wanted to feel joy and Lindsay’s baby shower was the perfect place to do that.  She knew that she could escape the horrors of everyday life and embrace the wonder of a new life beginning.  So with a smile (that was only partially forced) on her face, she kissed Danny and crawled out of bed.  The party was starting at two and she knew that she had a lot to do before then.

 

Glancing at the clock, she realized that it was barely seven a.m. and shook her head.  _How is it that I always wake up early when I have something to do,_ she mused.  She decided to let Danny sleep; he had a late night call out and she figured he was exhausted.  With an industrious spirit, she decided that she needed to clean, so she did.  Starting in the living and dining room, she began to sort out the mess that had gathered during the week, putting things back into their proper place and then proceeded to dust.  Once done with that, she moved to the bathroom and finally the kitchen.

 

She had just finished doing the last load of dishes—a task that she hated with a passion—when Danny walked in, looking adorably sleepy in his faded sweatpants and wife beater.  He was even rubbing his eyes to clear the sleep out of them.  “Morning,” he half mumbled through a yawn.

 

Cory smiled.  “Afternoon, actually,” she responded motioning to the clock which read twelve twenty-five.  “Did you sleep okay?” she questioned while handing him a hot cup of coffee.

 

Danny smothered a yawn and accepted the mug with gratitude.  “Yeah, but I missed waking up with you in my arms,” he pouted as he leaned in for a kiss.

 

Cory obliged him and then cocked an eyebrow.  “Today’s the baby shower and I thought it was more important that I clean.  The only thing I haven’t done is vacuum the carpet and now that you’re up, I’ll hop on that.  Then I can relax for a bit before getting the refreshments together."

 

Danny just nodded as he sunk down on a chair at the table, nursing the hot coffee, trying to clear the cobwebs out of his head.  He hated late night calls, especially since this one had woken him up at one a.m.  Luckily, he was home by six, but he still felt as if he’d gotten no sleep at all.  Finally, he was alert enough to fix some cereal for breakfast and then yawning, he made his way back to the bedroom, to change into his workout clothes.  Flack, Hawkes, Mac, Marty, Adam and he were going to shoot basketball while the girls had their baby shower.

 

Once dressed, he walked back into the living room, where Cory was pushing the vacuum cleaner around the chairs.  He waved to get her attention and she smiled as she shut off the noisy machine.  “I’m off to the court,” he said.

 

Cory smiled as she walked over to him.  “Okay.  Have fun,” she said as she kissed him chastely on the lips.  “We should be done by six or seven.”

 

Danny smiled at her.  “Okay.  I’ll be home by eight then.”

 

Cory smiled as she walked back to the vacuum to continue cleaning.

 

\----------------------------------

 

When two o’clock rolled around, Cory had everything prepared.  She had made some hor d’ouevres, mainly a vegetable platter, a fruit platter, a cheese platter and some pigs in a blanket.  She had also made a raspberry punch that she knew that Lindsay was going to love.

 

She had just taken the last batch of pigs in a blanket out of the oven when her buzzer rang.  Smiling, she hit the intercom.  “Yes?”

 

“It’s Janet, Julie and Rebecca.”

 

Cory’s smile grew as she buzzed to let in Lindsay’s mom and two sisters and soon the three women were knocking on her front door.  She opened it and looked at the smiling faced.  “I’m so glad that you could come!” she exclaimed.  “Lindsay has no idea that y’all are going to be here, so this will be such a great surprise for her.”

 

Janet Monroe smiled at her.  “You did give us three months warning, Corrine.  And the men can handle the ranch without us for a week,” she responded with a chuckle.

 

Cory laughed a long with her.  “You can put the gifts on the dining room table and I’ll just finish setting up the food.”

 

Julie, who Cory recognized from the wedding, just smiled as she followed her mom towards the table to put the gifts down.  Cory looked at the one Monroe woman that she didn’t know.   Rebecca obviously took after her father, Paul.  She had straight black hair and blue eyes.  “You must be Rebecca,” Cory said as she extended her hand to shake the other woman’s.

 

Rebecca smiled, her blue eyes twinkling with good humor.  “Yep, that’s me.  You must be Cory,” she returned, gripping Cory’s hand in a firm handshake.  “I feel so bad that I couldn’t make it to the wedding, but I was stationed in Iraq at the time and couldn’t get leave to come back.”

 

Cory nodded, knowing that the youngest of all the Monroe children had broken with the family tradition as much as she could.  She was a Navy pilot.  “Lindsay understood.  That’s why she made sure that the entire wedding was videotaped.  She wanted to make sure that you still were able to see the wedding.”

 

Rebecca nodded.  “I did.  Once Mama sent me the DVD, it was the first thing that I watched when I got some downtime.  I must say that a lot of the guys on the ship with me were drooling over you guys.”

 

Cory chuckled.  “It happens.  I’m glad you were able to get the leave to come here this time,” she started as the buzzer rang again. 

 

She buzzed up Stella, Lydia, Lindsay and Taylor.  She smiled in conspiracy as Janet, Julie and Rebecca hid in the kitchen.  When the girls got up, Cory guided the heavily pregnant Lindsay to the chair of honor and the rest of the women went to drop their presents on the table—and to say hi to Lindsay’s mother and sisters in private.  Once Lindsay was settled, Cory smirked, a truly Danny-like smirk, and winked.  “Linds, I have a surprise for you.”

 

Lindsay saw the twinkle in Cory’s eyes and was relieved.  She had been so much more sober since her kidnapping and it was good to see that she was returning to normal.  She decided to tease her back and raised an eyebrow.  “What?  You got me a stripper?”

 

Cory looked stunned for a moment before breaking out in gales of laughter, bending over to grab her stomach as tears ran down her face in her glee.  She managed to shake her head, but couldn’t form any words as Janet called out of the kitchen, “Lindsay Ann Monroe-Flack!  Is that anyway to talk at your baby shower?” she called out as she and the girls walked out of the kitchen, merriment dancing in their eyes.

 

Lindsay’s eyes grew round in surprise as she squealed and managed to get out of the chair to hug her family.  “Oh my God!  You’re here!” she gasped in happiness.

 

Julie hugged her and then pulled back to let Rebecca hug her.  “You really don’t think that we would miss your baby shower, do you?”

 

“Really sis, you should know us better than that!  I’m not stationed half around the world this time, so I had to be here,” Rebecca returned.

 

Lindsay just smiled as tears of joy filled her eyes.  “It’s so good to see you, Becca.  How’ve ya been?”

 

Rebecca smiled lightly as winked.  “Oh, you know me.  Always the party where I go.”

 

Lindsay just giggled as she shook her head.  “Yup, that’s you.  The life of the party.  You ever going to settle down?”

 

“Not while I’m still having fun,” Becca returned automatically.  “Now, let’s get this party started!”

 

\----------------------------------

 

Danny was the first person to arrive at the court, but it didn’t bother him.  He people watched, studying the other men who where playing ball, seeing which of them had real talent and which were just there to have fun.  He shrugged.  He liked basketball, but baseball would always be his first love sports wise.  He got distracted a bit by a couple in the playground of the park.  The women had red hair like Cory’s but a lot shorter and she was playing with a baby, who was cooing in contentment.  He lost himself in a fantasy of having children with Cory and it was in that state of mind that Flack walked up.

 

“Why are you grinning like that, Danny?” Flack asked, intrigued.

 

Danny snapped out of reverie and looked at Flack sheepishly.  “Just imagining beating you,” he responded lightly.

 

Flack rolled his eyes, knowing full well that Danny had never beaten him on the court before.  “So how is this going to play out?  Who is gonna be on whose team?”

 

Danny shrugged as Marty and Adam walked up, gym bags slung over their shoulders.  “We’ll figure it out.”

 

Flack nodded as he saw Mac and Hawkes walking up from the opposite side.   They greeted the group and after a few minutes of discussion it was decided that Danny, Hawkes and Marty would be one team and Flack, Mac and Adam the other.

 

Quickly, they took to the court and their friendly game of ball quickly turned competitive.  To Flack’s surprise, Marty was fairly good and Adam wasn’t half bad, so the teams were pretty evenly matched.

 

Danny smirked when his team took the lead and decided to up the stacks.  “Whadda say that whoever wins, buys the other team dinner?”

 

Flack smirked.  “I’m game,” he answered as everyone nodded their agreement and they grew serious as they focused on the game more.  Flack watched as Danny and Marty set up their next play and grinned.  He could read Danny like a book when it came to basketball and quickly intercepted his pass to Marty.  He turned and shot, easily sinking the three-pointer. 

 

Danny just shook his head as he threw the ball back inbounds.  And quickly they had evened the score.  Only to lose it moments later as Mac shot sank a three point shot to reach twenty-one.

 

Danny shook his head.  “Best two out of three?” he ventured.

 

Flack just laughed.  “Sure Messer, try to weasel out of paying for dinner,” he started, but then realizing how early it was acquiesced.  “All right, best two out of three.”

 

\----------------------------------

 

Back at the shower, the girls were chatting away, with Janet regaling them with stories of how each of her girls had taken forever to be born.  “Rebecca was the worst.  Dear Lord, I was in labor for thirty-six hours with her!”

 

The single and as of yet women with no children cringed in horror.  “Oh, that’s just awful,” Taylor said, taking a sip of her punch.  “How can you stand that much pain for so long?” she asked as she silently renewed her vow to never have children.

 

Janet shrugged.  “The first thirty hours were relatively pain free.  It was the last six that got to me.  But, it was worth it, too hear her first cry,” she said in remembrance.

 

Both Stella and Cory shook their head.  “I can’t imagine,” Cory admitted.  “I am so going to have to have an epidural when I have kids.”

 

Stella nodded her agreement.  “Oh yeah, but I can’t imagine having kids right now.”

 

Cory bit her lip.  “I can, but I have to be careful.  Twins run in my family and its something that I’m not sure that Danny realizes.  I know he knows that my mom was a twin, but I think because she didn’t have twins he doesn’t think about it.  But it skips a generation with us.  So, there’s a good chance that I will,” she admitted.

 

The girls’ eyebrows rose.  “Huh,” Lydia said.  “Well, at least you can have two at a time and then choose not to get pregnant again!”

 

Everyone laughed as Cory shook her head.  “Sure.  But, I think it might be time for presents,” she said as she got up and walked into the kitchen to gather everything together.

 

Lindsay settled back in the chair as the rest of the women helped to bring the presents in.  She looked at the presents and decided to open the ones from her mom and sisters first.  Inside, she found an assortment of onesies, socks, and little hats to keep the baby’s head warm.  Then she opened up the final present from her mom.  She gasped in shock as she stroked the quilt lightly. 

 

“It was your baby quilt,” Janet said quietly.  “The one that Grandma Monroe made for you.”

 

Lindsay looked at her mom, tears shining in her eyes.  “Oh, Mom.  It’s so perfect!”

 

She quickly opened the rest of the gifts and found more of the same; each woman had also gotten her a couple of packages of diapers, in differing sizes.  Once she was done, Lindsay looked around.  “Wow, how am I going to get all this stuff home?”

 

Cory smiled.  “I have Danny bringing home one of the crime lab SUV’s tonight and we’ll get it all there, but there’s more.”  She, Stella, Lydia and Taylor withdrew envelopes from their various purses.  “From me, a free pass to see Sebastian after the baby is born.  I know that you’ll want a little pampering and he’s just the person to do it!”

 

Lindsay grinned as she accepted the envelope and Stella handed her another envelope.  “From me, a free dress from Georgie once you get back to your pre-baby size.”

 

Lydia followed on her heels.  “Free manicure and pedicure at this delightful spa that I found.”

 

“And a free massage at the same spa from me,” Taylor finished wryly.  “I had Marty pick out all the baby stuff, but this was fun for me to do!”

 

Lindsay looked at her friends, realizing in that moment how lucky she was to have met all of them.  “Thank you, so much!”

 

They just grinned at her, knowing that there was one more surprise in store for her.  “And finally,” Stella began as she pulled a couple of pictures out of her purse.  “This is from Cory, Danny, Lydia, Hawkes, Marty, Taylor, Mac and me,” she said as she handed her pictures of a crib set.  “It’s all the baby furniture that you’ll need.  Crib, changing table, dresser and a glider chair and ottoman for the nursery.  The crib is actually a convertible one that will turn into a twin bed.”

 

Lindsay felt her jaw drop as she realized exactly why Flack had been pushing off going to get the baby furniture.  “Oh,” she stammered.  “Wow.  Did Flack know about this?”

 

Cory nodded.  “Yeah, we had to tell him, so he wouldn’t buy the furniture.  They guys promised that they would put everything together next weekend.”

 

Lindsay quickly wiped tears from her cheeks.  “You guys are the best!”

 

They just looked at her.  “We wanted to and face it; you’re the only one of us having kids right now!” Taylor chuckled.  “I’m certainly not ready for them.”  She looked pensive for a moment.  “Although, after baby shopping, I think Marty wants to.”  She looked nervous.

 

Cory giggled.  “I know that Danny does, but right now I just want to get married!”

 

“Mac and I have never discussed it, but I can see having his baby,” Stella admitted.

 

Lydia looked at the women.  “Sheldon wants to, but I want to get a little more established before we go down that road.”

 

Rebecca just looked around.  “I’m happy being single!”  Julie nodded her agreement.

 

Cory smiled.  “What do you say that we get some dinner?  It’s almost six and the finger foods have worn off.  I can order pizza, Chinese, what ever y’all want.”

 

Lindsay nodded her head.  “I could go for Chinese,” she said as Cory rose to go grab the menu so they could finish the night off right.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Cory was just finishing up the cleaning when Danny walked in.  She smiled at him, while smothering a yawn.  “Sorry, I am so tired,” she admitted.

 

“So am I, _bella,_ ” Danny responded.  “I’m going to go hit the shower and then I think I’m going to bed.”  He glanced around at the room.  “We can pack up the SUV tomorrow and then I’ll drop everything off at Lindsay’s before my shift.  I’m due in at three.”

 

“Good idea.  I’m just going to take the trash out then I’m hitting the bed, too,” she said wearily as she tied up another trash bag.

 

Danny smiled as he walked towards the bathroom, feeling gritty from sweating most of the day.  He took his shower quickly, but wasn’t surprised to find Cory in the bed before him, wearing her Cowboy’s jersey.  Quickly, he slipped in beside her and gathered her into his arms, feeling himself already slipping off to sleep.

 

Cory tossed in her slumber, her brow furrowing as she was being pulled towards something.  She finally opened her eyes, looking around the bluebonnet fields that always signaled when she had entered Limbo.  Sighing, she looked at Armando, her spirit guide.  He in reality was a friend who had died at the hands of Carlos Ortiz, a gang leader who had been obsessed with her.  He had infiltrated the gang, in hopes of gathering enough evidence to put him behind bars for the murder of his best friend and Cory’s fiancé, James.  But in order to get into the gang’s good graces, he had committed some crimes and as his repentance, he was serving as her guide to the visions that plagued her.

 

He bore a somber expression.  Lifting an eyebrow, she looked at him.  “Armando?  Why am I here?”

 

He sighed, that is if a ghost could actually sigh.  “Certain events are lining up, Cory.  The Powers That Be don’t know the outcome as of yet, but I’m here to guide you through a couple of them.”  He looked at her, his dark eyes serious.  “I want to prepare you; what you are about to see is bad.”

 

Cory looked at him, her heart beginning to race.  “How bad?”

 

“You know that I can’t tell you that, but I wanted to at least prepare you for it.”  He took her hand and Cory nodded, trying to steel herself for what was ahead.

 

Cory looked around the room, it looked like she was at Christmas dinner, but it must have been a couple of years in the future, for she saw herself and Danny sitting at her mom’s table with a baby in between them.  She looked around the table, seeing her mom, sister and a man she didn’t know who was, who was looking at Beth with adoration in his eyes.

_Beth’s eyes were twinkling as she held out her hand.  “Steven asked me to marry him!” she squealed._

Cory watched herself jump up from the table and grab her sister in a hug. _“Sweetie, I’m so happy for you,” she said softly but was interrupted by her phone ringing.  She was puzzled as she picked it up, “Reid,” she said before the blood drained from her face.  “Oh my God,” she said, her knees buckling.  Danny managed to catch her before she hit the floor._

Cory looked at herself, trying to figure out what was going on. 

_Danny held the other Cory in his arms.  “_ Bella? _What is it?”_

_The other Cory looked up at him, tears streaming down her face.  “Turn on the news,” she managed to choke out between sobs._

Cory felt dread filling her stomach as she watched the group rush into the living room, where Danny turned it on to the local NBC station, channel 5.  What she saw was the complete destruction of a city, fires burning.  It looked like a war zone.

 

_“Again, this is breaking news,” the news anchor was saying.  “There has been a coordinated attack on three major US cities.  Shortly after noon eastern time, New York City was attacked by what appears to be a terrorist cell.  These are pictures from a news helicopter that flew over the city thirty minutes ago,” the man was saying, emotion thickening his voice and the image of mangled buildings filled the screen.  “Millions are suspected to be dead, as the city burns out of control.”  The picture on the television changed to another city.  “Similar attacks were carried out in both Chicago and Los Angeles.”_

 

Cory watched the news feed with her hands over her face, tears streaming out of her eyes as her mind thought the worse.  All of her friends were dead.  She barely felt Armando touch her shoulder and woke up with a silent scream.


	11. Can’t Sleep, Clowns Will Eat Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Alice Cooper.

Chapter 10.

 

** Can’t Sleep, Clowns Will Eat Me **

 

Cory sat up in the bed, shaking as silent sobs racked her body.  Her mind was numb with what she had just seen.  She glanced down at Danny who was still sleeping peacefully and knew that she didn’t want to bother him with this, so she carefully got out of the bed, raking her hands through her hair.  _What does this mean?  New York…_ she paused as the vivid images overwhelmed her.  In her heart of hearts, she knew that everyone she knew had probably been killed in the attack, but she didn’t want to accept it.  Accepting it made it a real possibility.

 

Pacing in the living room, she took a deep breath and decided to replay the images in her head.  The reporter had said that it was a coordinated attack on New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.  Presumably, she had been in Dallas and was safe.  _Huh.  That doesn’t make a lot of sense.  Why not an attack in Texas?  It is a center of economic power as well as the center of the American oil industry._   She shook her head, her mind searching for the hidden clues in what she had seen. 

 

Finally, she sighed deeply.  She needed to talk this over with someone who could give her some sense of what The Powers had in store for her.  “I need to talk to Taylor,” she said aloud.

 

She quickly wrote a note to Danny, so he wouldn’t worry and decided to walk over to Taylor’s place.  She quickly changed into a pair of jogging pants, T-shirt and running shoes and left her apartment.

 

She walked slowly towards the subway station.  She was lost in thought, but tried to stay aware of her surroundings, knowing that a woman walking alone in the wee hours of the morning was a prime target for a mugging.  She almost breathed a sigh of relief once she made it to the platform.

 

Chewing her lip as she tried not to analyze the vision, she stepped onto the pretty empty subway car.  Out of habit, she scanned the few people that occupied the car, a homeless man, a couple of college kids and one man in a suit.  That struck her as odd.  It was early morning and the college kids were obviously drunk and on their way back to the dorm, but the man in the suit seemed out of place.  Settling back in the uncomfortable seat, her senses on alert, she kept her eye on him.

 

She was two stops away from Taylor’s—the two college students had gotten off a couple of stops before—when she noticed the man start twitching.  She squared her shoulders slightly, wishing that she had remembered her gun.  As the train pulled to a stop, the man began to walk towards her.  He nodded his head slightly towards her muttering, “Ma’am,” before exiting the train.

 

Cory grinned wryly at herself while breathing a sigh of relief.  _Damn, I need a vacation.  I’m jumping at shadows now._   She watched as the platform became a blur as the train pulled away and in a few minutes, she got off at the stop closest to Taylor’s.  Here, she turned off her mind completely, her senses on full alert.  She walked briskly through the streets; she still had a couple of blocks to walk before she reached the apartment building.  She kept her eyes moving, roaming the street looking for potential trouble, but made it unmolested to Taylor’s door, where she knocked lightly.

 

Taylor, who had fallen asleep the night before on the couch with Marty, heard the knock on the door and furrowed her brow.  Out of habit, she grabbed her baseball bat before opening the door to keep out.  “Cory?  What are you doing here?” she asked in puzzlement. 

 

“I hate to bother you,” Cory responded, “but I really need to talk to someone and I think you’re the best person.”

 

Taylor nodded, noticing the dark circles under the other woman’s eyes.  She shut the door briefly, to take off the chain, and then opened the door, setting her baseball bat aside.

 

“A baseball bat?” Cory asked as she walked in and noticed Marty on the couch.  “Am I interrupting anything?”

 

Taylor smiled.  “Naw, we were just asleep, but let’s go to my bedroom so we won’t wake him up.”

 

Cory nodded and silently followed her into the semi messy bedroom.  They both settled on the bed, sitting cross-legged.  Cory stared at her hands for a bit, not knowing how to start the conversation.

 

Taylor looked at her friend, worried about what was happening with her.  Truth be told, she had been a little off since she was kidnapped and she was wondering if she was having flashbacks.  She noticed Cory’s hesitancy in starting the conversation and being the blunt one, she blurted out, “So are you and Danny okay?  Or are you getting flashbacks of being kidnapped?”

 

Cory’s read shot up at the bold question.  Then she smiled.  “Danny and I are fine and no, I’m not having flashbacks.”  She sighed.  “You know about my visions, right?”  At Taylor’s nod, she began to tell her of the graphic vision that she had just experienced.  “And right now, I’m so confused and scared that I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

 

Taylor chewed on her bottom lip for a couple of minutes, processing what Cory had just said.  “Why do you have visions?” she asked, trying to understand the issues.

 

Cory shrugged.  “I don’t know.  I know that in my mom’s family, twins are not the only thing that is hereditary.  My mom and her twin sister both had powers.  My mom could see the future and my aunt could talk to ghosts.”

 

Taylor’s eyes lit up at that.  “Wow, someone like me!”

 

“Yeah, I’d suggest that you talk to her, but she died when she was ten, so you’d just be talking to another ghost,” Cory said wryly.  “But, Armando did tell me that the power tends to run in family and that especially with premonitions you’re only shown what you can have an affect on.  So, I think seeing this is something that I can change, but I don’t know how.”

 

Taylor nodded.  “Yeah, I kinda got that drift from Maddy.  Have you talked this over with Armando?”

 

“I tried to probe him for information, but he wasn’t being very forthcoming.  It’s like he knows more, but can’t give me any help.  I think that’s what is frustrating me the most.  It’s like trying to put a puzzle together without having a picture to refer to.”

 

Taylor laughed.  “Welcome to my world.  All I get are cryptic clues that I somehow have to puzzle out.  Why were we chosen for this?”

 

“Maybe it’s because we’re the only ones stupid enough to listen to them,” Cory replied with laughter.

 

Taylor nodded as she yawned.  “Sometimes I hate the Powers.  They annoy the crap out of me.”  She looked as Cory began to yawn.  “Look.  Why don’t you take my bed and I’ll take the couch with Marty.  We were sleeping perfectly well there.”

 

Cory shook her head.  “No, I can’t put you out of your bed.  I think that I’ll just go home.  Tomorrow—I mean today—is Sunday and I can sleep as late as possible.”

 

Taylor shook her head.  “No.  I’m not going to let you walk around this late at night.”

 

Cory raised an eyebrow.  “I got here perfectly safe, so I’ll be fine, Tay.”

 

Taylor continued to argue with her as she walked to the door, but she didn’t relent.  What she didn’t want to tell Tay was that she was certain she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep, so she wanted to be home where her insomnia wasn’t as noticeable.  Taylor finally gave up, but left instructions that she at least text message her when she got home.  Cory agreed and made her way back to her apartment.

 

\----------------------------------

 

By the time that Monday rolled around, Cory was exhausted from her lack of sleep and the fact that Danny kept asking her what was wrong.  She didn’t want to burden him with the nature of the vision, so she kept skirting around the issue, hoping that he would eventually let it drop.

 

When she got into work, she sighed as she dialed Alistair.  She had a feeling that her vision was somehow tied to Etienne and whatever organization he represented, especially since she knew that he was on a mission to destroy America, but since she had no more information on him, she didn’t know what to do.

 

Her last recourse was to see if she could get Alistair to talk, but since he hadn’t returned any of her messages or emails in the previous two weeks, she wasn’t sure if he’d be of any help.  Not feeling hopefully, she dialed the long distance number and was unsurprised when it went straight to voicemail.  “Alistair, its Cory.  Look, I really need to talk to you about Etienne.  Please, please call me!” she begged before hanging up the phone.

 

She shook her head and turned her attention back to the fireworks case, hoping to find inspiration in that since everything else was being stonewalled with her.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Lydia and Sheldon rose at the same time Monday morning.  He was working the early shift and Cory expected her to be in by nine at the latest, so after a quick breakfast together, they kissed goodbye and went their separate ways.  She was almost to her office when her phone rang.  “Sanchez?” she answered quickly.

 

 _“Hi Lydia.  Its Morgan,”_ a deep voice answered her.  _“I’m in New York and wanted to see if I could meet you.”_

 

Lydia hesitated for a moment, not exactly sure what he meant, but decided to treat it as a business matter.  “Sure.  I’m on my way to the office right now.  You can meet me there and I’ll introduce you to Cory.”

 

Morgan sighed lightly, so she couldn’t hear him.  That wasn’t what he had meant, but he knew that he had to tread lightly with her.  With their history, she was bound to be a little withdrawn.  _“All right.  I’ll be there by ten, then.  Bye.”_

 

Lydia shook her head as she disconnected the call, her stomach fluttering in anticipation.

 

 

\----------------------------------

 

Meanwhile, across town, Flack was on the scene of his newest dead body which was dressed like a clown.  He was shaking his head as Hawkes and Adam walked up.  “So, Bobo here just dropped dead in the middle of the street.  Tell me that I can get an ID on him.  I hate clowns,” Flack began as the two pulled out their cases.

 

Hawkes nodded to Adam to document the scene and once he was done with pictures of the body, he did a preliminary exam.  “No external signs of trauma, a lack of blood.  Could be natural causes,” he advised Flack from his kneeling position next to the body.  “I think this is one time that it’s going to take the autopsy to even give us an idea of what caused him to die.   Witnesses see anything?”

 

Flack rolled his eyes.  “Please, on a crowded street in the middle of rush hour?  Nothing useful or at least anyone who knows anything useful didn’t stick around to talk to us,” he drolled as Hawkes rolled the body slightly, obviously looking for a wallet.

 

“No wallet or any form of ID on him,” the doctor said calmly as Flack stepped away from the body as it got near to him.  Hawkes looked at him inquisitively.  “So, why don’t you like clowns?”

 

Flack shuddered slightly.  “They’re just creepy, man.  I mean, a grown man dressing up to obscure his identity to play with kids?  That ain’t right.”

 

Hawkes laughed.  “You get molested as a kid or something?” he joked.

 

Flack shook his head.  “Naw, but Dad used to tell these stories about creeps he would catch that were molesting kids when dressed up as a clown.  I can’t even stand circus posters now.”  He stepped back again as the morgue transport van parked beside them.

 

The two workers quickly had the body strapped on a stretcher while Hawkes and Adam stayed to try to find evidence on a sidewalk that obviously hadn’t been cleaned since the end of World War II.

 

Adam stared up and down the street, seeing surveillance cameras and ATMs.  “You know,” he mused.  “Maybe if we pull the surveillance footage, we can get an idea of where he was coming from.”

 

Hawkes nodded.  “Good idea, because other than that, we don’t have a lot of evidence.  Why don’t we head back to the lab and see if we can find anything,” he suggested.

 

Adam nodded and began to pack up his case, hoping that the footage would give them something.


	12. Creep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to the absolutely fabulous Stone Temple Pilots!

Chapter 11.

 

** Creep **

 

Cory was staring at her phone, cursing the fact that Alistair still had not called.  In addition to her first message, she had left another three messages for him.  _Damn it!  Why in the hell won’t he call me back_ , she seethed.  She was interrupted from her anger by a soft tap on the door.  She looked up to see Lydia standing there, panic written on her face.

 

Cory drew her eyebrows together.  “You okay?  You looked like you swallowed a live fish,” she questioned the younger woman.

 

Lydia bit her lip as she walked in.  “Truth be told, I don’t know.  Derek just called.  He’s on his way in.”

 

Cory cocked her head.  “Okay.  So he’s going to help us build a possible profile.  Why do you look nervous about that?”

 

Lydia drew in another breath.  “Because, talking to him over the last couple of weeks has made me remember how good we were together.  Just the sound of his voice could make me go weak in the knees and it still does.”  She looked at Cory, confusion darkening her eyes.  “What’s wrong with me?  I mean, I have this great thing going on with Sheldon.  Why am I having these thoughts about Derek?”

 

Cory studied her friend, knowing some of what she was going through.  “Because you love him,” she said simply. 

 

“But I love Sheldon!” Lydia protested.

 

Cory shook her head.  “It is possible to love two men at the same time,” she began, raising her hand to prevent Lydia from interrupting her.  “Look, when I met Danny, I wouldn’t accept my feelings for him because of James.  I knew that I was still head over heels in love with my dead fiancé.  But, I learned that it was okay for me to love both.  I love Danny in a way that I never loved James, but I love James in a way that I’ll never love Danny.”

 

“But what does it mean?  Who am I meant to be with?”

 

Cory looked at her, her heart going out to Lydia.  “I honestly can’t tell you that, sweetie.  That’s a decision that only you can make,” she said softly. 

 

Lydia smiled wryly at her.  “Why am not surprised that you said that?” she sighed.  “But, I guess that you’re right.  I just need some time to sort out my feelings.”

 

Cory smiled at her.  “Trust me, you’ll have that time and I’m here if you ever need to talk.”

 

“Thanks Cory,” Lydia said, her eyes still dark with her confusion.  She was about to say something else when another knock sounded on the door.  She looked up, unsurprised to see Derek standing there.  She rose from her seat with a smile.  “Hi, Derek,” she greeted him softly.

 

Morgan looked at his former girlfriend, feeling the familiar tightening in his chest.  He had known the moment that she left him that he was in love with her, but he didn’t fault her for leaving.  She had waited around for him for two years before his inability to commit had driven her away.  He was just thinking his lucky stars that this case had brought her back in his life.

 

“Hey, Lyd.  It’s good to see you,” he greeted her, looking at the striking redhead with shadowed eyes behind the desk.  “You must be SSA Corinne Reid.”  He offered his hand.

 

Cory stood, taking in the good looking black man.  She had to admire Lydia for her taste in men.  “Call me Cory,” she drawled accepting his handshake.  She then motioned to the other chair in front of her desk.  “Please, have a seat.  Lydia told me that you are here on your vacation since your team didn’t deem this case a high priority because there is no obvious threat.”

 

Morgan heard the undertone of frustration in her voice and understood.  “Yeah.  But, I believe Lydia when she says that you think this could be something big.  So why don’t you bring me up to speed.  Like when the UnSub first contacted you.”

 

Cory nodded her head and began to go over the case with him.

 

\----------------------------------

 

When Hawkes got back to the lab, the first thing he did was log in the little evidence that they had.  Adam went to get the warrant to get the surveillance footage from every camera that was on the street.  Logging in the evidence took Hawkes only a few minutes; there really wasn’t a lot of physical evidence.  After he was done, he walked down to the morgue to see if Sid had anything for him.

 

“Hey, Sid,” he called as he walked in, noticing the numerous bodies that were lying on the tables.  “I guess you haven’t gotten to my vic, yet.”

 

Sid looked up from the body of a young woman.  “No sorry, Sheldon.  There are two shootings and one auto related death in front of you.  If you want, you can get his fingerprints.”

 

Hawkes nodded, pulling on gloves and grabbing the fingerprint ink.  Quickly, he got the prints and then waved to Sid as he was leaving.  “Just call me when you get your results," he advised over his shoulder.

 

Back up in the lab, he quickly scanned in the fingerprints and waited for AFIS to give him something.  It didn’t take long.  In a few moments, he had a match.  Jackson Webb.  Smiling, he dialed Flack.  “Flack, I got a match on our vic’s fingerprints.  Jackson Webb.  He’s in the system because there was a child molestation charge against him that was dropped.”

 

 _“You got an address?”_ Flack answered as he grabbed the keys from his desk.

 

“Yeah.  I’ll meet you at the motor pool,” Hawkes responded, grabbing his kit.

 

\----------------------------------

 

An hour later, Flack and Hawkes pulled up to an older apartment building in Queens.  After getting the super, so they could unlock the door, they made their way up to the fifth floor.  Flack walked in first and was greeted by a Golden Retriever.  “Hey there, girl,” he said to the dog as he gave it a scratch.  The dog bounced around before looking at Flack with adoration in its eyes.  Flack just shook his head as he cleared the small apartment, finding no one but the dog.

 

“Clear,” he called back to Hawkes, who snapped on his gloves and began to look around the apartment.  Flack noted the cleanliness of the apartment, but with a wide selection of children’s toys.  He shook his head in disgust.  _This is so not helping me like clowns anymore._

 

Hawkes walked around the apartment, not sure exactly what he was looking for, but knowing that a healthy thirty-five year old man did not drop dead for no reason.  His gut was telling him that he was murdered, even though they had not gotten the results of the autopsy yet.  He was in the kitchen, trying to figure out what the bowl of clear liquid on the table was when the dog ran in, skidded across the floor and crashed into the table.  The bowl of liquid teetered on the edge before falling off, splashing Hawkes in the process.  “Bad dog!” he exclaimed.

 

The dog seemed to understand him and slunk off towards the living room and Flack with its tail between its legs.  Hawkes shook his head as he moved to the bedroom and found a computer.  Quickly, he turned it on; the images on it sickened him.  _Child porn, god that is awful,_ he thought sadly, not able to look that the images on the screen.  Sighing, he bagged up the computer for evidence and moved back to the living room.

 

“Anything?” Flack asked. 

 

“No.  Just a computer full of child porn.  Why do I think that his death has to do with that?”

 

Flack sighed, “Because we’ve seen it all before, man.  I found pictures that suggest that he had a child.  Maybe the mother can tell us something.”

 

“Maybe,” Hawkes agreed before removing his gloves and making his way out the door behind Flack and back to the lab, with hope that Sid could get him a cause of death.

 

\----------------------------------

 

 

Across the Atlantic, Alistair was sitting at his desk.  He was conflicted.  On one hand, he felt like he had made the correct decision in not telling Cory about Etienne.  He felt that it was his responsibility alone to capture the man who had shattered his belief in humans being able to change.  He remembered the day that he had convinced his supervisor to allow him to bring the man into InterPol.  But less than six months later, he was proven wrong.

 

Etienne had gone off the grid and with him, the combined intelligence on some of the most wanted criminals in the world.  Soon after, Alistair had learned that he was selling himself and information on confidential informants to the highest bidder.  He had never learned who he had finally sold the information to, but the result was unmistakable.  Within weeks, there were attacks on undercover operatives all over the world.  Two of his best friends in the agency had been brutally murdered.  He realized now that he burned with a need for revenge that was complete and total.

 

He knew that when Etienne had resurfaced after being a ghost for five years that he should have confided in Cory.  He knew the moment he had seen the sketch of the man that had picked Alexis up at the airport who he was, but he told himself that he had no clue who Etienne was working for now and any information that he could have given her was outdated and useless. 

 

So now he was staring at telephone after listening to Cory’s latest message.  She had almost broken his resolve to solve this on his own, but then he pulled out the picture of Etienne.  He knew that he and he alone had to be the person that brought Etienne down.

 

\----------------------------------

 

When Flack and Hawkes got back to the lab, Adam was waiting for them with a dejected look on his face.  “Nothing on the surveillance footage.  Jackson Webb was walking on the street and then he started having seizures and collapsed.”

 

Hawkes furrowed his brow, processing the symptoms in his head.  “It sounds like he was poisoned, but I don’t know by what.  Have you heard from Sid yet?”

 

Adam shook his head.  “Other that there is still one person in front of our victim, no.”

 

Flack looked at the two men.  “Okay, so right now we have no evidence that Jackson Webb was killed, other than a suspicious death.  Motive?”

 

Hawkes began to pace.  “He’s been accused of molestation, but never convicted, so he has no criminal record, but the computer I found was full of child porn.”

 

Flack cocked his head.  “And it looks like he might have a child.”  He turned to Adam.  “Adam, can you find out everything about our vic?”

 

Adam grinned.  “Of course,” he confirmed as he slid his chair over to his computer.  He began typing and within moments reciting the facts that he’d found.  “Jackson Webb, born, December 31, 1972.  Both parents dead.  Got married to Angelica Piedmont on April 19, 1997.  Son Jacob born May 5, 2000, so that would make him eight now.  They divorced in 2001.  From the looks of it, it was not an amicable divorce, but a year later is when the molestation charges began.”

 

“Get me an address on the ex-wife.  I’ll bring her in after we get the autopsy results if the cause of death was not natural.”

 

The three men looked at each other, each wondering if the rise in unsolvable cases was just a temporary problem.

 

\----------------------------------

 

A few hours later, Adam and Hawkes had run every bit of evidence that they had.  There were no open accusations against the victim, and no sign of foul play on the surveillance footage.  They finally decided to put the case on hold until they got the results of the autopsy.

 

They were just putting the remaining evidence in lock up when Hawkes felt the room spinning and had to grab a shelf for support.  Adam looked at him with concern.  “You okay?”

 

Hawkes steadied himself on the shelves.  “Yeah, I’m fine.  Just haven’t been sleeping much.  Exhaustion has finally caught up with me,” he said just as his phone beeped.  “Looks like Sid has our results.”  He began to walk toward the morgue, rubbing his hand on the back of his neck.

 

When they walked into the morgue, they found Sid with a very serious expression on his face.  “Your vic was murdered,” he stated baldly, no hint of his usual banter in his voice.

 

Adam looked at Sid.  “What killed him?”

 

Sid opened his mouth to answer when Hawkes began to shake.  He rushed around the table in enough time to catch his friend before he fell to the ground, calling out to Adam, “Call 911 now!”

 

\----------------------------------

 

Cory, Lydia and Morgan were sitting at a restaurant close to the FBI building.  So far, they had worked on trying to figure out if the school shooter was really going to follow through with the threats or if it was just a hoax.  They were all in agreement that the attack would happen, they just didn’t know when.

 

Cory sighed in exasperation.  “So basically, you’re telling me that I’m screwed until this guy actually makes a move, aren’t you,” she addressed Morgan.

 

Morgan looked up at her.  “Pretty much.  Without an actual attack, there’s just not enough information to build a profile or even narrow down where the attack will happen.”  He looked at her apologetically before trying to change the topic.  “So, Cory.  Are you by any chance related to Spencer Reid?  He works in the BAU.”

 

Cory looked at him in confusion.  “Huh?”

 

“It’s just that you bear this amazing resemblance to him, so I thought I’d ask.”

 

Cory shook her head and laughed.  “Okay.  That was just really random, but as far as I know, I don’t have any relatives here.  My dad was an only child and my mom had an identical twin that died when they were ten, so it’s just my sister and I.”

 

Morgan nodded.  “Okay,” he said as he looked at his watch.  “Wow, it’s almost four.  I’d better let you two get back to work,” he said before looking at Lydia.  “Lyd?  Would you like to have dinner tonight to catch up?”

 

Lydia bit her lip.  “I’m not sure, Derek,” she answered honestly.  “Can I get back to you after I check my schedule?”

 

Morgan looked at her.  “All right—” he began before Cory’s phone interrupted him.

 

“Reid?” she answered before her eyes opened wide. “Oh my god.  We’ll be right there.”  She turned to Lydia.  “Lydia, we have to go.”

 

“What happened?  Something with the fireworks?” Lydia asked, instantly realizing that something momentous had occurred.

 

Cory just bit her lip.  “No.  Sheldon’s just been rushed to the hospital.”


	13. Bad News and Bad Breaks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. It belongs to the wonderful Mighty, Mighty Bosstones.

Chapter 12.

 

** Bad News and Bad Breaks **

 

Lydia stared at Cory in shock as she told her that Sheldon had been rushed to the hospital.  “What?  Why didn’t they call me?”

 

Cory looked at her in sympathy.  “Adam said he tried, but your phone was going straight to voicemail.”

 

Lydia looked down at her phone and cursed in Spanish underneath her breath as she realized that she had forgotten to charge it the previous night.  “Damn.  I forgot to charge it,” she growled as she got up and began to walk towards Cory’s car, intent on getting to the hospital.

 

Cory looked at Morgan, who looked confused.  “Sheldon is her boyfriend.  He’s a crime scene investigator with the New York crime lab.”  She smiled apologetically, withdrawing some money from her purse.  “Sorry to run on you, but here’s some money to cover lunch.  I’ll talk to you later.”  She turned and strode to her car where Lydia was waiting impatiently.

 

“What happened?” Lydia asked quietly as they pulled away from the curb.

 

“I don’t know.  Adam didn’t say, but he’ll be okay,” she reassured her.

 

Lydia just bit her lip and stared out the window until they reached Trinity Hospital.  When they pulled up and parked, Lydia was out of the car as soon as it stopped moving.  Cory shook her head as she followed at a more sedate pace and caught up with her in the waiting room, where Sid and Adam were standing.

 

“Adam?  What happened?” Lydia said in a rush.

 

Adam just looked at her, his eyes full of pain.  “I think Sid can explain it best,” he said quietly.

 

“Sid can explain what?” Cory asked from the doorway.

 

Sid looked up and smiled at the redhead.  “Today a man died on the street, no sign of foul play.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do the autopsy immediately due to a backlog in the morgue.  When I finally got the tox results back, I discovered his true cause of death.”

 

“Well?  What was it?” Lydia asked with an edge to her voice.

 

Sid looked at them in all seriousness.  “Ricin.  I don’t know how it was administered, but I did confirm that it was Ricin.”  He looked both of the women in the eyes.  “I believe that Hawkes was infected with it as well.

 

Lydia covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes filling with tears.  “Oh, god.”

 

Cory’s face grew even more serious.  “Is this an attack?” she asked.

 

“I don’t think so.  I mean, if it were an attack, more people would be sick, but they’re not.  It’s just the victim and Hawkes, although how Hawkes got poisoned, I have no idea.  It couldn’t have been at the scene because both Flack and I were there and we’re fine.  But Flack and Hawkes went to the vic’s apartment, but then Flack is still fine,” Adam babbled until he ran out of breath.

 

Cory arched an eyebrow.  “Adam, stop babbling.   Where is the rest of the lab?”

 

“It’s Lindsay’s day off, but I called her to come up here because I know that we’ll need to process the evidence.  She should be here soon.  Danny, Mac and Stella were all at a scene when this happened and they said they would come by as soon as possible.”

 

Cory nodded as she began to pace.  “Where’s Flack?”

 

“Right behind you.  I just got here with Lindsay.  What the hell is going on?” Flack said from the doorway.

 

Quickly Sid filled him in.  “We need to find out where he got poisoned and make sure that no one else has been affected,” Flack said after the explanations were done.  “Adam, come back with me to the apartment and let’s see if we missed anything.”

 

Adam nodded, his normally cheerful expression gone.  “Got it, but we’re going in with masks.  I don’t want to risk that this is airborne,” he said with confidence as he began to walk towards the door.

 

Sid sighed as he stood as well.  “I’d better get back to the morgue and see if I can determine how it was administered.”

 

Cory nodded, knowing that there was nothing that she could do for now, other than be with Lydia.  She smiled as Lindsay sat next to her gingerly, trying to adjust for her pregnant belly.  “We have the worst luck ever, you know that?” Cory mused.

 

Lindsay just smiled, knowing full well that both she and Cory were familiar with hospital waiting rooms.  “I know, but I think that it has to do with the fact that we are all cops.  I mean, that puts us at a high risk, so we get to spend more time here.”

 

Cory nodded, studying Lydia as she paced back in forth in the waiting room, hoping to here some good news.  She sighed, recognizing the pacing as something that she did on a regular occasion.  She finally turned her attention back to Lindsay, noticing that she was grimacing slightly.  “You okay?”

 

Lindsay smiled.  “Yeah, it’s just Braxton-Hicks contractions.  My OB/GYN said that they would become common since I’m less than two months away from my due date.”

 

“They hurt?” Cory asked, intrigued.

 

Lindsay nodded her head slightly.  “A little bit, it’s kinda like cramping before your period.”

 

Cory curled her nose at that.  “That truly sucks.”

 

Lindsay just laughed as she settled into a more comfortable position.  “Yeah, but it’s going to be well worth it when the baby is born.”  She turned and saw the look on Cory’s face.  “Nope, still not going to tell you the sex of the baby.  Don and I want it to be a surprise.”

 

Cory stuck her tongue out as she mock pouted.  “Fine.  Don’t tell me.”  Both women looked at each other as they dissolved into giggles, breaking the tension.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Flack and Adam stood outside of the apartment building, waiting for Mac and Danny to arrive.  Just as they had gotten back to the lab, Mac had called for details on Hawkes’ collapse.  Mac had instructed Adam to wait for him and Danny to arrive before entering the apartment, so they were waiting with two spare suits.  They didn't have long to wait, as within ten minutes of arriving, Mac and Danny were screeching to a halt beside them.

 

The men were somber as they quickly donned the CDC suits.  Flack and Adam took the lead, knowing where they were going.  Once at the door, Flack cautiously opened it with the key that the building sup had given him.  Once he walked in, both he and Adam noticed a difference in their entrance.  They looked at each other and uttered at the same time, “Where’s the dog?”

 

“What dog?” Mac asked from behind him.

 

Flack turned around.  “When we were here the first time, a Golden Retriever bounded on us as soon as we entered the apartment.”  He smirked.  “Cute dog.”  He looked around a bit before calling out, “Here puppy!”  There was no response.

 

Flack unholstered his gun while motioning for Adam to get behind him.  He quickly scanned the room, but didn’t find anything out of the ordinary, other than the dog not greeting them.

 

Mac mirrored Flack’s actions and followed him into the dark apartment.  He looked around the living room, not seeing anything out of the ordinary.  When they entered the kitchen, he noticed a stain on the floor next to an overturned bowl.  “Was that here before?” he asked in a low voice.

 

Flack shook his head.  “The dog knocked it off when we were processing,” he responded just as quietly before moving down the hall towards the bedroom and bathroom.  He still looked around, not seeing any changed from when he had walked down the same hall earlier.  Shaking his head, he quickly turned into the small bathroom.

 

Mac moved past Flack to the open bedroom door.  He entered cautiously, checking to see if there was anyplace for a person to hide.  After studying the room, the only obvious places for someone to hide was under the bed or in the closet.  He decided to check the closet first.  He opened the door, only to find boxes and dirty clothing.  Sighing, he got on his hands and knees to check under the bed.  “Flack!  I found the dog,” he called out as he stared at the unmoving canine body under the bed.

 

\----------------------------------

 

A few hours later, Cory was leaning forward in her chair, responding to her email on her Blackberry.  She shook her head as she reread the response from the superintendent of the New York City school district.  She had emailed him again, trying to determine what kind of security measures he had put in to place after her warning, but he had responded that there was nothing that he could do without conclusive proof that an attack was immanent.

 

Resigned, she closed out her email and put her phone back in her purse just as the doctor walked in.  Lydia jumped up from her chair, a look of worry on her face as she greeted the man.  “Doctor?” she questioned with hesitation.  “Is Sheldon okay?”  She waited for the answer, not knowing how she felt about what the answer was.

 

The young doctor looked at the distressed women.  “He should recover fully from this,” he reassured them with a smile.  “Luckily, he only received a small dose and Dr. Hammerback knew exactly what had caused him to collapse.  We are going to keep him for a few days to ensure that he has recovered fully, but then he’ll be able to return to work immediately.”

 

Lydia sagged in relief that he was going to be fine.  “Oh, thank the Lord,” she breathed as she sat back down.  “Can I see him?”

 

The doctor shook his head.  “Not yet.  We are prepping him to move from the ER to a room.  I promise that as soon as he’s moved, then you can see him.  I’ll make sure to send a nurse to bring you to the room as soon as possible,” he promised as he turned to leave.

 

Lydia just nodded as she covered her face, both in relief and in confusion about her feelings for both him and Morgan.  Cory smiled as she patted her shoulder, unaware of the myriad of emotions that were racking her friend.  “See, I knew that things would be okay,” she said soothingly.

 

Lydia drew a breath and pasted a smile on her face.  “Yeah, you did.  Thanks.” She bit her lip as she tried to think of what she wanted.  “Why don’t you and Lindsay head out?  I’ll be fine.  I can just take the subway home from here.”

 

Cory studied her before nodding.  “All right, but I insist that you take my charger for my phone.  I can use my car charger for now,” she said as she withdrew the cord from her purse.  “That way, you can call us if anything changed.”

 

“Thanks Cory,” Lydia said gratefully.  “Lindsay?  Can you let Flack know that everything is going to be okay?”

 

Lindsay nodded as she stood up, easing the ache in her back from the uncomfortable chairs.  “Thanks.  I just want to put my feet up.  They keep swelling,” she said wrinkling her nose.

 

Lydia smiled as she leaned over to hug her.  “Do that.  And let Flack pamper you tonight.”

 

Lindsay returned her hug.  “I will.  Don’t stay up here too late tonight.  He’ll probably sleep until tomorrow.”

 

“Yes, Mom,” Lydia snarked.

 

Cory and Lindsay laughed as they walked out of the waiting room.  “So Cory, what are your plans for tonight?  You and Danny have a hot date planned?”

 

Cory just rolled her eyes.  “Seriously?  You think that I’ll see Danny before they find out how Hawkes got poisoned?” she drolled.  “Nope.  We actually didn't have anything planned anyway.  Why?”

 

Lindsay grinned.  “Hey, I have to live vicariously through someone!  My social life has been reduced to doing things that don’t make my ankles swell.”

 

“But, you’re going to be a mother!” Cory gushed.

 

Lindsay just shrugged.  “I know and most days I’m ecstatic, but I’ve been so uncomfortable the last couple of weeks that it just sucks.”

 

Cory patted her shoulder.  “You’ll be fine,” she said as she unlocked the car.  “Just settle in and I’ll get ya home so you can put your feet up.”

 

Lindsay just smiled as she settled into the small car for the drive home.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Mac watched as Sid took the dog’s body out to the van to be transported to the morgue.  They both suspected that the dog had died from a lethal dose of Ricin, but they needed to run the tests to be certain.  After Sid left, Mac turned to Danny and Adam, anger burning in his stomach.  “I want this place processed within an inch of its life,” he bit out.  “I want to know where the Ricin is and how it was administered.”

 

Both men nodded gravely and they split up.  Adam headed back to the bedroom, Mac to the living room and Danny to the kitchen.  When Danny looked around the small space, he slowly went through the list of anything that could possibly be used to transmit the Ricin.  Methodically, he began to process the kitchen, starting with the refrigerator.  He bagged samples of all the food in the small unit, noticing that the victim leaned towards frozen dinners and alcohol.

 

After done, he moved on to the garbage, wrinkling his nose as the rancid odor wafted from the can.  _God, I hate going through trash_ , he thought as his nose wrinkled.  Gingerly, he shifted through the waste, wondering why there was a container of mashed up food in the can.  _It doesn't look moldy, so why throw away perfectly good food?_

 

After completed with the trash, he made a quick search through the cabinets before taking swabs of the bowl that had fallen from the table.  Once done, he rejoined Adam and Mac in the living room.  “I took swabs from the bowl, but I found a bowl of perfectly good food in the trash, so I think that it’s important and bagged it.”

 

Adam nodded as he held up a couple of bags.  “I grabbed all of the costume make-up in case the Ricin was laced in it,” he said.

 

Mac smiled.  “Good work, both of you.  I didn't find anything in the living room, but we need to seal this place up until we’ve found the source.”

 

Danny and Adam agreed as they left the apartment, hoping that they could solve this case before someone else was infected.


	14. Basket Case

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Greenday.

Chapter 13.

 

** Basket Case **

 

When Lydia finally left the hospital after visiting hours were over, she was drained and confused.  Hawkes had woken up once, but had been groggy and unfocused.  As she watched him sleep, her mind had kept returning to Morgan and how his smile had affected her.  _Stop it,_ she told herself.  _You are with Sheldon.  Remember what Derek put you though.  Remember how hurt you were when you left Quantico._

 

She kept debating with herself as she walked into the lobby to leave.  She was just about to walk in the revolving door when a hand touched her shoulder.  Startled, she whipped around, only to see Morgan standing there sheepishly. 

 

“Sorry,” he uttered.  “I didn't mean to scare you.”

 

Lydia shook her head, dismissing the fluttering in her stomach as being a result of being caught unaware.  She smiled softly as she looked into his eyes.  “It’s okay.  I was lost in thought,” she reassured him.  “Why are you here?”

 

In response, Morgan took his hand from behind his back to reveal a bouquet of Spanish Irises.  “I thought you could use some cheering up.  How’s your boyfriend?”

 

Lydia stared in shock at the bouquet of flowers.  _How did he remember that Spanish Irises are my favorite flowers?_   She finally smiled softly.  “He’s okay.  They should be letting him out in a couple of days.”  She stared at the flowers again.  “I can’t believe that you remembered my favorite flower.”

 

Morgan smiled as he softly brushed a strand of her hair back behind her ear.  “Of course I remembered.”  He pulled his hand back quickly, knowing that she was off limits.  “You wanna grab dinner?”

 

Lydia bit her lip, not sure of what to do.  Finally, she shook her head.  “I’d better not.  I’m half asleep right now and really just want to fall in my bed,” she told him, not wanting to reveal the real reason.  She didn't trust herself with him and she didn't want to hurt Hawkes.

 

Morgan nodded, not sure what he was feeling about her.  Did he still have feelings for her or was what he was feeling just a reaction to how they broke up?  “So, what happened with your boyfriend?”

 

Lydia sighed.  “Somehow he came into contact with Ricin.  It caused him to collapse in convulsions, but luckily it was a small dose, so there will be no lasting affects.”

 

Morgan looked shocked.  “What?  Is it an attack?” he questioned quickly.

 

“Nope.  Doesn't look like it.  There's only one other victim and you know as well as I do, that if this was a terrorist attack, then there would be more victims.”

 

“That’s a relief.  Why don’t you let me walk you home,” he questioned, not wanting to say good-night to her yet.

 

“Okay,” Lydia conceded as they turned to leave the building.

 

\----------------------------------

 

When Flack got back to his desk, he sat down wearily.  Taking a deep breath, he booted up his computer to do a more thorough background check on the victim and see if he had any outstanding complaints against him.

 

Thirty minutes later, he was fighting the urge to throw his pen across the bull pen in his frustration.  _Nothing!  This guy is a convicted sex offender and there is nothing on file,_ he thought angrily.  _I just don’t get it._   He had run everyone (including the victim’s ex-wife) to see if there were any lawsuits pending, but it had come back clean.  Shaking his head, he got up to go to the lab to see how much progress they had made on the evidence collected at the scene the second time around.

 

\----------------------------------

 

When they got back to the lab, Danny, Mac and Adam immediately split up to run the tests on the evidence.  Adam handed over everything that he had bagged to Danny and made his way back to the AV lab, since he hadn’t had a chance to go over the computer that Hawkes had bagged the first time around.  Quickly, he attached the laptop to the lab computers and ran a virus scan.  He knew that with the amount of pornographic pictures of children on there, there was a high possibility that the computer could be infected with any number of viruses and he didn't want anything to compromise the lab’s firewall.

 

While the scan was running, he began to make a mental checklist of how he wanted to look over the files.  He knew that was the best thing to do, especially since he was still a little distracted by Hawkes’ collapse.  Thankfully, the scan didn't take long since no viruses were detected.  With his mental list complete, he put on his earphones for his IPod and began to investigate the hard drive and all it had to offer.

 

His stomach began to churn as he waded through the explicit pictures, looking for hidden messages or codes.  He wasn’t surprised at the nauseating pictures (given the history of the man), but the images were still disturbing.  Biting his lip, he quickly changed his play list to something more upbeat, trying to quell the queasiness.  Finding nothing in the pictures, he pulled up the email and browser history, hoping to find something there.

 

Two hours later, Adam was in shock with what he’d found.  Shaking his head in amazement and disbelief, he jumped out of his chair, determined to find Mac and Danny to tell them what he’d found.

 

\----------------------------------

 

After Adam had handed him the evidence, Danny turned to Mac.  “You take the make-up and I’ll take what I bagged from the kitchen?” he questioned.

 

Mac nodded.  “Good idea,” he agreed as he accepted the bags from Danny. 

 

Danny turned as Mac walked away, intent on finding out what was bothering him.  Over the next few hours, he took samples and tested them from everything he’d found, with surprising results.  He’d grabbed the paper from the printer and turned to walk out of the lab to find Mac when his boss walked in the lab with a grim smile.  Flack was coming up behind him.

 

“Found the source of the Ricin,” Mac stated as soon as Flack had entered the room.

 

Danny raised an eyebrow in surprise.  “Really?  So did I.  Where?”

 

“In the face paint.  Where was yours?” Mac returned, just as surprised as Danny was.

 

Danny smirked, feeling proud of what he’d discovered.  “Actually, in two places, but I think it’s from the same source.”  He turned and led Mac to the table, where his samples were spread out.  “First, I tested the mashed up food in the garbage and it turns out to be _Ricinus Communis._ ”

 

Mac’s eyes opened.  “Castor beans?”

 

Danny nodded.  “Yep and the liquid that fell on the floor was actually homemade Ricin.”  He looked at Mac.  “As far as I can figure, when the bowl spilled, some of it got on Hawkes and that’s why he got sick.”

 

Mac nodded, the light coming on in his head.  “And the dog drank the water and that’s what caused it to die,” he finished.

 

“The question is…Was this a suicide attempt?”

 

“If so, there are easier ways to off yourself,” Flack jumped in.  “Why not just shoot yourself or jump off the Brooklyn Bridge?” he asked in confusion.

 

“Because it had to be accidental,” Adam said from the doorway.

 

The three men turned to look at the young lab tech.  “Go on,” Mac said encouragingly.

 

“First off, I’m going to have to take a shower after going through his computer,” Adam said with a shudder.  “But, I found emails that he’d sent his ex-wife where he told her that he was going to poison her with Ricin.  Also, in his browser history, I found where he had googled “How to make Ricin” and a link to the website where he’d found the recipe.”  Adam looked happy that he had made such an astounding discovery.

 

“Okay,” Mac responded.  “But, that doesn't explain how it got into his make-up.”

 

Adam thought for a moment.  “Transfer from his hands, maybe?” he temporized.

 

Danny shook his head as he leaned against the table.  “Unlikely.  If it was transfer, then there wouldn’t be a high enough concentration to cause death.  Of all the methods to administer Ricin, skin absorption is the hardest to cause serious harm.  That’s why Hawkes just got sick and he didn't die.”

 

Mac thought for a moment.  “Danny, has the mass spec given you a chemical composition yet?”

 

“Yeah,” Danny answered, pulling the breakdown up on the screen.  “You can definitely tell that it’s homemade, tons of impurities in it.”

 

Mac’s eyes began to gleam as he moved to another computer and pulled up the composition of the sample he’d found in the make-up.  “Look, mine is different.  There are very few impurities in it.  This had to have been made in a lab.”

 

“So the question is...who put the Ricin in the make-up?” Flack said dryly.

 

\----------------------------------

 

By the time they’d gotten to Lydia and Sheldon’s apartment, Lydia was feeling much more relaxed.  She’d forgotten how much she and Morgan had in common.  It wasn’t that she and Sheldon didn't have good conversations, but sometimes his intellect scared her.  He was a board certified surgeon at the age of twenty-two, while she was still in college at that age.  She never felt as if he was trying to talk over her, but she still felt that she didn't challenge him mentally and she knew that she wanted a partner that did that and could only assume that he wanted the same.

 

She sighed softly, listening to Morgan talk about his team.  She had learned all about them on the way back to her place and he was currently telling her about Spencer.  He seemed to be cut from the same cloth as Hawkes.  Scarily smart.

 

“And seriously, the boy has no game whatsoever,” Morgan said with a chuckle.  “His idea of flirting with a woman is talking about statistics!”

 

Lydia laughed.  “Is he the one that you asked Cory if she was related to?”

 

Morgan grinned.  “Yeah.  They look similar physically, but it’s really the gleam in her eyes that did it.  She gets the same gleam in them that Reid does when she is on the hunt for something.”

 

“Huh,” Lydia mused, thinking about Cory’s family history.  “They aren’t that I know of.  Cory has a sister in Dallas, but her dad was an only child and her mom only had a twin sister that died when she was ten.”

 

Morgan shrugged his shoulders.  “I really wish they were.  I want to see if the weirdness runs in the family.”  He paused as Lydia stopped at a doorway.  “This your place?”

 

“Yeah,” she said softly.  “This is mine and Sheldon’s place.”

 

He looked down at her, seeing the confusion and vulnerability in her eyes.  It made him want to take her into his arms to soothe away her fears, but didn't think he could keep it on a platonic level.  “He’ll be okay,” he tried to reassure her, misinterpreting her body language.  “So, um…I guess I should let you go so you can hit the sack,” he finally said after a pause.

 

Lydia looked up at him, staring into his warm chocolate eyes, feeling herself drawn into them.  She bit her lip, trying to ignore the feelings she was experiencing.  “Okay, I’ll talk to you later,” she said reluctantly as she unlocked the door.  As she began to walk in, she turned around and called out, “Derek?  Thanks for cheering me up.”

 

“No problem, _Mami,_ ” he said, unconsciously using his nickname for her.

 

As the door closed, both stared at it for a couple of moments, wondering if they had made the right choice.

 

\----------------------------------

 

 

When Cory got back to her office, she sat at her desk, mulling over what had happened.  She knew that Lydia was going to have some mixed emotions due to what she had confided in her.  Sighing deeply, she wondered what she would do in Lydia’s position.  Her thoughts were interrupted by the phone ringing.  Hoping that it was Alistair finally returning her calls, she picked it up eagerly.  “Reid.”

 

 _“Agent Reid, how nice to hear your voice,”_ a man said. 

 

Cory’s eyebrows drew together as she recognized the man.  It was the informant who had given her all the information on Etienne.  She quickly pulled her computer up, trying to start a trace on the call.  “Who is this?” she asked, trying to by some time.

 

 _“As I told you before, Agent Reid, a friend,”_ he returned calmly without giving her any information.

 

She thought quickly.  “In order for us to be friends, it’s only polite for me to know your man,” she shot back.  To her surprise, the man laughed.

 

_“I knew you were feisty, Agent Reid…Or may I call you Cory?”_

 

“How…” she began, in shock that the man obviously knew enough about her to use her nickname.

 

 _“I have my sources.  If you insist on having a name to call me by, you may call me Marley,”_ the smooth voice said as Cory tapped a few buttons on her computer.

 

“Okay Marley, what can I do for you?” she asked.

 

_“First of all, don’t try to trace this call, it will be impossible.  I have some more information for you.  You should be receiving it in your mail today.”_

 

Cory rolled her eyes as she watched the trace continue on the computer, knowing that she needed to keep him on the phone for as long as possible.  “Why are you doing this?  Giving me this information.”

 

 _“Let’s just say that I want him caught and I think you are the person for the job. Unlike Alistair Murphy who is too emotionally involved in this,”_ the man revealed.  _“I’ll be in touch.”_

 

Cory stared at the phone in shock as the dial tone began to buzz in her ear and the trace went dead.  He’d been right; the call so far was untraceable.  _Damn!  Whoever this guy is, he’s good,_ she thought in frustration.  Resigned, she put her phone back on the receiver just as the mail arrived.  She nodded to the young man who was delivering it, taking a deep breath as she saw the manila envelope.  Carefully, she opened it, not sure of what she would find.  She turned it upside down and some more pictures fell out.  Unlike the glossy pictures she had received the first time, these seemed to have been taken on a digital camera and printed out on a computer.

 

As she studied them, she realized that they were snapshots of Etienne walking around in a city and some of him meeting with some young men.  She didn't understand what use they were to her until she got to a picture in the middle of the bunch.  Gasping in surprise, she stared at the picture.  It had been taken two weeks prior in front of the subway stop closest to her apartment building.

 

The revelation shocked her to the core.  The idea that the man that had tried to kill her mother could be living less than two blocks from her made her blood boil.  _I’ve got to find him.  I_ will _find him,_ she thought with conviction as she stared at his face.


	15. Love Hurts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Incubus.

Chapter 14.

 

** Love Hurts **

 

Flack walked back to his desk, knowing that he was in for a long night.  Sighing, he quickly dialed Lindsay to let her know the bad news. 

 

 _“Hey Don,”_ she answered.  She shifted slightly on the couch, where she was sitting after her long bubble bath, to grab the remote to hit the pause button on her DVR.  She was watching her secret vice: _General_ _Hospital_ _._   _“Are you on your way home?”_

 

“Unfortunately, no.  The case has taken a strange turn and it looks like I’m working a double now,” he said with regret lacing his voice.

 

Lindsay smiled to herself, determined to lighten the mood.  _“Don’t worry about it sweetie.  I kinda figured that would happen.  After all, this is not a normal case,”_ she reassured him.

 

Flack felt relief course through his body.  “Are you sure?”

 

She laughed.  _“Yes.  I have Sonny and Jason to keep me company,”_ she said referring to the characters on the show.  _“I think I’ll be fine.”_

 

“Should I be jealous?  You talk more and more about those mobsters every day!  And here I thought you liked law-abiding men,” he shot back without thought.

 

Lindsay went silent.  _“Donald Flack, Jr.  Have you been watching my_ General Hospital?” she asked in shock.

 

Flack paused for a moment, not realizing what he had revealed and then tried to backpedal.  “Um, no. Of course not!  Men don’t watch soap operas!”

 

Lindsay couldn’t contain herself and began to laugh uncontrollably.  _“Oh my god!  You have been!  That’s the only way that you could know that Sonny and Jason are mobsters!!”_   She paused for a second to try to catch her breath.  _“Don’t worry, sweetie.  I won’t tell anyone,”_ she promised with her fingers crossed.  This was too good not to tell Cory and Stella about.

 

Flack felt the tips of his ears burn as he blushed, not wanting to admit to his wife that he had become addicted to the show.  “Um, so, I’d better go try to catch the bad guys,” he finally said, feeling better.

 

Lindsay finally got her giggles under control.  “Okay.  And Don?  You do know that you are absolutely the only man for me, right?  I love you and stay safe,” she said sincerely.

 

Flack smiled.  “You’re the only one for me, too.  I love you, Linds.  I’ll see you later.”

 

He kept smiling as he hung the phone up feeling energized.  He took another look at the file, as well as the emails that Adam had printed out for him.  As he read through them, he discovered that the victim, Jackson Webb, had been trying to get full custody of his son, Jacob.  _Funny, when I talked to his ex, Angelica, she didn't mention that.  In fact, she told me that she hadn’t had any contact with him.  But why didn't this come up when I did the legal search?_

 

He looked over at his computer and at the original search he’d done and realized his mistake.  He had only searched for the victim as a defendant, not as a plaintiff.  He mentally slapped himself upside the head, not believing his mistake.  _Flack, old boy, you’re getting lax._   Shaking his head with the magnitude of what he’d found, he jumped up to go back to the lab, thankful that they finally had a viable suspect.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Danny sat down in the break room, his eyes burning in exhaustion.  He glanced down at his watch, discovering that it was almost nine p.m. and he’d been on shift since six a.m.  Yawning, he decided that he really should head home before he fell asleep on his feet.   Slowly climbing to his feet, he began to walk towards the locker room, to grab his bag.  Halfway there, his cell phone rang.

 

“Messer?” he answered, not bothering to look at the caller ID.

 

 _“Hey sweetie,”_ Cory’s tired voice greeted him.

 

“Hey, _bella._   You sound tired,” he responded.

 

Cory sighed.  _“It’s been a day.”_

 

“Yeah, tell me about it.  But, I think I might be headed home now,” he said before looking up and seeing Flack striding towards him.  “Or maybe not.  Flack looks like he might have found something.”

 

_“Okay, I was just checking to see what time you were going to be here because I’m about to open a bottle of wine.”_

 

Danny smiled.  “Try to save some for me and I’ll get home ASAP.  _Ti amo,_ and I’ll call you later.”

 

“I love you, too.  Bye sweetie,” Cory said before she hung up, slightly disappointed but understanding of the job.  She turned to look at the dark apartment, deciding to pamper herself with a candlelit bubble bath.   Smiling, she grabbed the wine and padded towards the bathroom, eager to put her day behind her.

 

Danny looked up at Flack.  “You found something, didn't you?” he asked his friend.

 

Flack smiled.  “Yeah.  The ex told me that she hadn’t had any contact with the victim since they divorced, but Adam found emails in between them.  He was going to fight her for custody.”

 

Danny smirked.  “Looks like we have a suspect.  You bringing her in?”

 

Flack nodded.  “You want to be in on the interrogation?”

 

“Like you have to ask,” Danny returned, rubbing his hands together.  “Let’s go.”

 

\----------------------------------

 

When Adam finally left the lab, he was exhausted.  The stress of the day had finally caught up with him and he only wanted to go home and sleep, but he was supposed to be meeting Allison.  On his way home, he kept talking himself out of calling and canceling.  He didn't want to do that since they had only been out a couple of times and he really liked her.  He didn't want to keep blowing her off because of work. 

 

When he reached his apartment, he quickly took a shower and changed into a nice shirt and slacks.  After combing his hair back, he picked up his keys and cell phone, praying that there would be no interruptions.  On the way to her apartment, he made a stop at a flower vendor and picked up some wild flowers for her.

 

A few minutes later, he nervously knocked on her door.  It was his first time picking her up.  When the door opened, he was speechless.  She was dressed in a simple green sheath, which matched her eyes and her long blond hair was done up in an elegant bun.  “Um, wow.  You look—” he trailed off.

 

Allison smiled.  “You don’t clean up to badly yourself, Adam.”

 

Adam flushed as he handed her the flowers.  “Here, these are for you,” he muttered, still embarrassed. 

 

Allison smiled as she accepted them and motioned him inside the apartment.  “Hold on a sec and I’ll get a vase for these and then we can leave,” she called over her shoulder on her way to the kitchen.  _He really is sweet,_ she thought as she put the flowers in water and then grabbed her clutch to leave.   When she got back to the living room, she noticed him looking at her pictures. 

 

Adam looked up as she walked back in.  “Are these all your family?” he asked as he pointed at the pictures.

 

Allison nodded her head.  “Yeah,” she confirmed as she began to point out specific pictures.  “That was last Christmas.  Dad is a retired attorney, Mom still works in her bakery.  And those are my brother and sisters.”

 

Adam looked at the loving family; she obviously missed them from the tone in her voice.  “How many of you are there?” he asked.

 

“I’m the oldest of five,” she responded with a smile.  “Mom and Dad decided to follow the alphabet when naming us.  Allison, Betty, Carla, David and Eileen.”

 

Adam looked shocked.  “Wow.  I’m an only child, but I always wanted a brother or sister.”

 

Allison grinned.  “I can’t imagine life without them.  We’ve had our disagreements, but we’re always there for each other.”  She linked hands with him.  “So what do you have planned for tonight?”

 

Adam smirked.  “That’s a surprise,” he teased as he glanced down at his watch.  “Which means that we need to head out.”  He guided her to the door and opened it for her.  “My lady,” he said with a twinkle in his eyes.

 

Allison just rolled her eyes and shook her head as she stepped into the hallway.  “You are so corny.”

 

“Maybe, but I’m mysterious and that’s what counts,” Adam shot back with a laugh as the walked out of the building and to his small car.  “Here you go,” he continued as he opened the door for her.

 

Allison smiled as she slid into the car.  _He is such a gentleman.  It’s nice to be treated like this,_ she thought.  Minutes later, they were driving through the city, listening to the radio.

 

Adam glanced at Allison a few times during the quiet ride, grateful that he had not cancelled since he was feeling much better.  _Huh, she’s helping to take my mind off of everything that happened today._   Smiling, he knew that what he’d planned for this evening would be perfect.  He had finally cornered Danny a few days ago and gotten the name of the Italian restaurant that he always raved about.  Somehow he knew that Allison would enjoy it.

 

Allison liked the fact that she and Adam never felt like they had to fill the silence with meaningless conversation.  She knew that she’d never felt like that before.  She was comfortable with him and was beginning to feel like she had known him her entire life.  She was startled out of her thoughts when the car stopped.  The next thing she knew, Adam was opening her door and holding out his hand to help her out.

 

“Welcome to Francesca’s,” Adam said as he led her into the intimate Italian restaurant.

 

Allison looked around in interest as he led her in.  “This is very nice,” she said as they were led to a small table.  “How did you find this place?”

 

Adam looked into her eyes.  “A friend told me about it,” he admitted.  “So, you have one brother and three sisters.  Tell me about growing up in San Diego.”

 

Allison nodded.  She was eager to get to know him better, so she began to tell him about her family growing up.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Stella was getting ready to go home when she walked past Mac’s office.  She knew that he’d still be here, but she hadn’t expected to see him taking a nap at his desk.  Smiling to herself, she walked in quietly.  She looked at him for a moment, loving to see him sleep.

 

Finally she crouched down next to him in the chair.  “Mac?” she said softly as she placed her hand on his thigh.  “You really should go home and get some sleep.”

 

Mac opened his eyes quickly.  “Stel?”

 

Stella smiled.  “It’s after eight, Mac.  You’ve been here for almost twenty hours.  Come home with me.  Get some sleep.”

 

Mac shook his head.  “I can’t.  Not until we solve this case.”

 

Stella sighed, knowing how stubborn he was.  “Mac?  You’re not going to solve this case by burning yourself out.  Adam has already gone.  Danny and Flack went to interview a suspect and Hawkes is going to be fine.  You need sleep.”

 

Mac looked at her, loving the fact that she stood up to him.  “Okay, fine.  I’ll get some sleep, but I’m leaving my phone on.”

 

Stella grinned.  “Come on, you’ll be able to think much better after some food and sleep.”

 

Mac just stood up, knowing that Stella could get him to do almost anything, just by asking him.  “You’re too good for me, you know that.”

 

Stella laughed.  “Yes, but you’re too good for me, too.”  She grabbed his arm, so they could walk out of the lab, ready for the rest.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Danny and Flack arrived at Angelica Piedmont’s apartment, only to find it dark.  Flack knocked on the door a few times, but there was no response.  Disheartened, they were about to leave when the door across the hall opened and young woman stuck her head out.  “Angie’s not here right now.”

 

Flack looked at the woman.  “Do you know where she went?” he questioned.

 

The young woman shook her head.  “Nope, but she left in a hurry.  Looks like she had an overnight bag with her and Jacob.”

 

“Do you know why she left?” Danny asked.

 

The girl shrugged this time.  “I dunno.  Her best friend might.  She was here before they left.”

 

Flack lifted an eyebrow.  ‘Gotta name?”

 

“Misty something or another.  Sorry, wish I knew more.”

 

Flack just gave her an encouraging smile as she passed her his card.  “Call me if you remember anything.”

 

“Kay,” she replied as she closed her door.

 

Danny and Flack looked at each other.  “Why do I feel like we’re running in place?” Danny asked as they left.

 

“Because we are, Danno,” Flack replied.  “Let’s just see if we can find this Misty something and maybe she’ll know where to find them.”

 

Danny nodded, as they got in the car to return to the lab.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Adam was laughing at Allison’s story of her sibling rivalry over dessert when his phone went off.  Sighing, he checked the caller ID and saw that it was Danny.  “Sorry, I have to take this,” he told her before answering.  “Hey, Danny.”  He listened for a moment.  “All right.  Do you have the warrant because to pull the phone records, I have to have one.  Okay.  I’ll be there in thirty.”

 

Allison knew that he was getting called in and motioned for the waiter to come over while he was on the phone.  “We need our check, please,” she informed him discreetly. 

 

The man nodded and laid a leather book on the table.  “I’ll be your cashier when you are ready.”

 

Allison smiled at the man as Adam hung up.  “You have to go in,” she stated.

 

Adam smiled apologetically.  “I’m sorry.   The case we’re working right now…it struck kinda close to home.  You don’t mind?”

 

She patted his hand in reassurance.  “I understand.  It comes with the job.”

 

Adam sighed in relief.  “I’ll just drop you at home, then head in.  They are still getting the warrant, so I have some time to play with.”  He noticed the check on the table and shook his head with a wry smile.

 

Twenty minutes later, he pulled up outside her apartment building.  “Let me walk you up,” he said.

 

Allison shook her head.  “No, you have to go in.”  She leaned over and quickly kissed him.

 

Adam was surprised by her gesture, but quickly intensified the kiss, only pulling back when lack of oxygen was making him lightheaded.

 

Allison just pulled back, her toes curling at her intense response to him.  “Call me when you get off work,” she said breathlessly as she climbed out of the car with a wink.

 

Adam nodded as he put the car into drive, his heart racing.  _Wow._   He was still mesmerized when he walked into the lab, looking for Danny or Flack.

 

Danny looked up to see Adam strolling down the hall, a goofy grin on his face.  He took in the good clothes he was wearing and quickly put everything together.  “Hot date?” he asked the younger man with a smirk.

 

Adam ignored him.  “You got my warrant?”

 

“Here it is, Adam, work your magic,” Flack said from the doorway, holding a piece of paper. 

 

Adam nodded and quickly went to work, bringing up the phone records for Angelica Piedmont.  “What am I looking for exactly?”

 

“Her best friend’s name is Misty something, according to a neighbor.  After the best friend came over, Piedmont and her son did a disappearing act.”

 

Adam nodded.  “Right, look for someone with the name of Misty.  Gotcha,” he said sarcastically as he began to scan the most recent calls.  “Okay, no one with the name Misty, but I do have an M. Macgregor.”

 

“Can you get any DMV info?” Danny asked.

 

Adam made a few more keystrokes and finally pulled up a New York State driver’s license.  “Misty Macgregor.  Here’s her home and work address.  Well isn’t that interesting.”

 

Flack turned around.  “What do you mean by interesting?”

 

“She works at Alabaster Laboratories.  They work with the Department of Defense,” Adam responded.

 

Danny looked at him.  “And you know this how?”

 

Adam grinned sheepishly.  “Um, before I got the job here, I interviewed with them.  They wanted me to help maintain their security firewalls.”  He looked embarrassed.  “But, I realized that I wanted more than to keep up someone’s security system.”

 

Danny smiled.  “Believe me I understand.  Do you know what they exactly they do there?”

 

“That’s why it was interesting.  They specialize in biological weapons.”

 

Flack and Danny looked at each other, both feeling like they had more of an idea of what was going on.  “Lab quality Ricin,” they said together.

 

“I’ll see if I can get any more info on Macgregor,” Adam said.

 

“And we’ll go pay her a visit,” Flack said as they left the room.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Lydia tossed and turned through the night, unable to completely fall asleep.  Finally, at four a.m. she made her decision.  She was going to tell Hawkes that they needed a break.  She knew that it wasn’t fair to him to continue to be with him while she was sorting her feelings.  Feeling a weight lift off her chest, she packed her clothes.  Once it was a decent hour, she called her parents to see if she could stay with them for a while.  She knew the answer would be yes, but thought it would be polite to actually ask them before she showed up on their doorstep.

 

Gathering her courage, she made her way to the hospital.  She sighed softly as stood outside of his room, not wanting to go in.  She finally opened the door, to find Hawkes awake and alert.

 

Hawkes smiled as he watched Lydia walk in.  He had talked to the doctor earlier, who had filled him in on what had actually happened.  He felt lucky to be alive.  “Hey sweetheart,” he greeted her as she sat down.  “I’m sorry to worry you, but nothing in his apartment led me to believe that Ricin was present.”

 

Lydia smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.  “I understand; that’s the nature of the job.”

 

Hawkes noticed the distress look on her face.  “Lyd, I’m going to be fine,” he said as he stroked her hand softly to reassure her.

 

Lydia bit her lip slightly.  “It’s not that, Shel,” she responded softly.

 

Hawkes looked at her.  “What’s wrong?”

 

She looked at him.  “This is such a bad time.  God.  I feel awful for doing this,” she muttered under her breath.  She was quiet for a moment.  “I think we need a break,” she finally said softly.

 

Hawkes looked at her, not sure if he’d heard her correctly.  “Why?” he queried.

 

“It’s not you,” she rushed to reassure him.  “I recently came back into contact with my ex.  He’s consulting with us on a case and it’s made me realize that I have some unresolved feelings for him.  I need some time to work this out and I don’t want to hurt you.”

 

Hawkes looked at her, pain encompassing his heart, but he was determined not to show it.  He drew in a slow breath before nodding.  “Okay, I’ll be honest with you.  I love you, Lydia.  But, I understand if you need time to sort this out.”  He brought her hand to his lips and softly kissed it.  “I’ll respect your decision, whatever it may be.”

 

Lydia felt herself tear up.  “You’re such a good man, Sheldon Hawkes.  I don’t know if I deserve you,” she choked out before fleeing the room.

 

Hawkes just stared after her, trying to figure out what else could go wrong in his life.


	16. Come Undone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Duran Duran.

Chapter 15.

 

** Come Undone **

 

Danny and Flack made their way back to the lab wearily.  They had not found either Angelica or Misty.  According to Misty’s neighbors, she had left in a rush a little after eight p.m. with another woman and a young boy.

 

“Damn it!  They’re running,” Flack growled.

 

“There’s nothing we can do right now,” Danny said calmly, thinking over the angles.  “All we have right now are suspicions; we don’t have any hard evidence.  When we get back to the lab, I’ll go back over all the evidence and see if I can find anything.”

 

Flack nodded.  “Okay.  I’m going to head home to check on Lindsay and try to get some sleep.  Call me if you get anything.”

 

“No problem,” Danny responded as he pointed the car back towards the lab.

 

\----------------------------------

 

When Cory awoke, she stared at the dark ceiling.  Fragments of her dreams were haunting her, teasing her.  All she could remember was milling around a building.  Frustrated, she tried to remember more, but with each passing minute, the dream faded.  Finally, she shook her head and looked at the clock.  Five a.m.  She touched Danny’s side of the bed and the sheets were cool.  _I guess he didn't make it home,_ she thought morosely.  _I really need to start finalizing the wedding plans.  We have to reserve the church by the end of June, but I don’t know which one he likes.  Damn.  We really need to talk this over, but with his workload and mine, we haven’t even properly seen each other in two weeks!_

 

She let out a sigh and crawled out of bed.   As she got into the shower, she decided that she was going to work on the wedding plans, instead of going into work early for once.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Danny’s eyes were gritty when he finally made the discovery.  He was so tired that it took him a moment to register that he had a match on the unknown fingerprint that Mac had pulled.  With a smirk, he grabbed his phone so he could give Flack the good news.

 

“Messer, its six a.m.  You’d better have something good,” Flack sleep roughened voice answered.

 

Danny’s smirk grew.  “How about Misty Macgregor’s fingerprint on the jar of face paint that the Ricin was in?”

 

Flack sat up in the bed. “What?  How’d we miss that the first time?” he asked in hushed tones.

 

“It was an unknown print.  Since we had our suspicions, I reran the print in the Department of Defense’s employee database and it popped up.”  He smiled as he rubbed his eyes underneath his glasses.  “I’m about to call Mac and then we’ll roust a judge out of bed to get the search warrant.  Then, I’m going home and sleeping for twelve hours.”

 

“I’ll be there in an hour,” Flack told him as he carefully got out of bed, as to not wake Lindsay up.

 

“Okay.  I’ll have everything ready for you,” Danny responded as he hung up the phone, blowing out a breath in relief.

 

Flack tiptoed out of the bedroom to get ready.  He left a note for Lindsay, to let her know that he got called back in and then made his way to the precinct.  On the way in, he grabbed some good coffee—not the black sludge that often passed as coffee at the lab.  He made sure to get some for Danny, along with a dozen chocolate donuts.  He figured that his friend needed the sugar high.

 

When he arrived at the lab, he found Danny half asleep in the break room.  “Yo, Danno!”

 

Danny jumped a bit.  “Whadda want?” he said groggily.

 

Flack teased him with the coffee.  “Thought you might want the coffee.”

 

Danny nodded his head as he grabbed the hot Styrofoam cup.  “Thanks, man.”  He took a long sip before continuing, “Mac should be here soon.  You gonna see if you can find her?”

 

Flack nodded.  “On my way to my desk now.  I’m going to start at her job and see if she’s there.  I’ll let you know if I find anything.”

 

Danny just nodded as he leaned his head back on his hand, half asleep.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Mac leaned over and gave Stella a soft kiss on her cheek as he got ready to leave.  She stirred slightly as she felt his warm lips.  Cracking an eye open, she noticed that he was dressed in his clothes from the previous day.  “You really need to bring some clothes over here,” she murmured sleepily before her mind actually registered that he was dressed.  “Is it eight already?”

 

Mac shook his head.  “No, it’s around six.  Danny made a break in the case, so I’m heading in.”

 

Stella sat up, her hair in tangles.  “Give me ten minutes,” she said, blinking the sleep out of her eyes.  “I want to go with you.”

 

Mac raised an eyebrow.  “Stel?  Can you really get ready in ten minutes?”

 

Stella yawned.  “I am a woman of many talents,” she said with a wink.

 

Mac looked at his watch.  “All right.  Ten minutes, but if you’re not done, I’m leaving without you.”

 

Stella just smirked as she leapt out of the bed.  _He doesn’t believe that I can do this, but little does he know…_   She had learned a long time ago the value of being able to get ready for the day in ten minutes, so she quickly began to get ready.  Eight minutes later, she was standing by the front door, completely ready for a long day.  “Mac?” she called out when he didn’t come to the door.  “You ready?”

 

Mac walked out of the living room, looking at his watch.  “Okay,” he conceded.  “I’m impressed.”

 

Stella just smirked as she grabbed her purse.  “Never underestimate a woman who loves a challenge.”

 

Mac just nodded as they left the apartment.  When they arrived at the lab, Stella found Danny half asleep in the break room, nursing a cup of coffee.  “Danny?  Why don’t you just go home?  You’ve been here, what twenty-four hours?”

 

Danny looked up, yawing.  “I want to, but I think I’m too tired to drive and definitely don’t want to take the subway.”  He looked at her.  “Plus, I kinda want to be here for the interrogation.”

 

Stella just shook her head.  “Promise me that you’ll have Cory come pick you up when you want to leave.”

 

“Yes, Mom,” Danny shot back, with a good-natured eye roll.

 

Stella laughed as she turned to leave, spotting Flack striding into the lab, a smile on his face.  She walked out of the break room and met up with him and Mac.

 

“Mac, do you have the warrant?” Flack asked without preamble.

 

Mac shook his head.  “I put a call in to Judge Garcia, but he wasn’t in yet.  It is only seven a.m.  His assistant promised to have him call me as soon as he got in.”

 

Flack sighed.  “I hope he gets in soon.  I called the lab and she is at work right now.  I just don’t want her to skip out, since we just got the break we needed.”

 

“I understand, Flack.  She may not be the one that poisoned Hawkes, but it was because of her that he’s in the hospital.  I promise that if I haven’t heard anything in an hour, I’ll call back.”

 

Stella saw the look on Flack’s face.  “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure that all the evidence is in order and as soon as the warrant comes in, we’ll go pick her up.”  She patted his arm.  “We just have to play the waiting game.”

 

Flack nodded.  _God, I hate the waiting game._

 

\----------------------------------

 

Three hours later, the warrant finally came through.  Stella checked on Danny, who had finally fallen asleep on the break room couch.  She suppressed a giggle as she heard him snoring softly.  She grabbed a bottle of water for the drive to Alabaster Laboratories, and then grabbed her kit to get ready to leave.  Ten minutes later, her and Flack were on their way to the lab. 

 

When they arrived, the young blonde receptionist efficiently directed them to Misty Macgregor’s office.  Flack knocked authoritatively before opening the door.

 

The young redhead looked up in surprise.  “May I help you?” she asked, an annoyed edge to her voice.

 

Flack and Stella flashed their badges, whilst Flack made the introductions.  “I’m Detective Flack; this is Detective Bonasera with the New York Crime Lab.  Are you Misty Macgregor?”

 

She nodded her head in confusion.  “Yes, how can I help you?”

 

“Do you know Jackson Webb?” Flack asked.

 

“Yes,” Misty confirmed.  “He was my best friend’s ex.”

 

Stella noticed the wording and jumped in.  “Was?” she queried.

 

Misty recovered quickly.  “She told me that he had died last night,” she said smoothly.

 

Stella looked at Misty, not believing her for a moment, but decided to play it cool.  “How well did you know him?” she continued.

 

Misty looked at her.  “What is this about?”

 

“Mr. Webb was murdered,” Flack said stoically.

 

“Really?” Misty responded, trying to look surprised.  “Do you know who killed him?”

 

“We have a suspect,” Stella said dryly.  “You didn’t answer my question.  How well did you know Mr. Webb?”

 

“I didn’t.  I just knew of him from the stories Angie used to tell me.  He was a real piece of work.”

 

Stella raised an eyebrow. “Really?  Then how do you explain your fingerprint?”

 

Misty’s face went ashen before she recovered.  “Are you accusing me of something?”

 

“I’m just wondering why if you’ve never met him, your fingerprint was found on belongings in his apartment,” Stella countered.

 

“I think I’d like to talk to my attorney,” Misty replied stonily.

 

“Then, I’ll have to ask you to come downtown with us,” Flack replied.  Misty started to protest, but he held up his hand.  “We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” he said holding up his handcuffs.  “Your choice.”

 

Mutely Misty stood and quietly them out of the building.

 

\----------------------------------

 

When Adam arrived at the lab, he found Danny and Mac talking in the hallway.  He took a second look at Danny, whose clothes looked rumpled and slept in.  “Danny?  Did you even go home last night?”

 

Danny smiled; the nap he had taken had left him feeling much more alert.  “Nope, but I should go and change now,” he said as he turned to walk to the locker room.

 

Adam just shook his head as Danny walked away.  He looked at Mac.  “Where do we stand with the case?”

 

“Flack and Stella just went to bring in the best friend,” he informed Adam.

 

Adam nodded.  “Cool.  I’ll get to work on the other cases that I was working on then.”

 

Mac nodded as Adam turned to walk away.  “Oh, Adam?  Good job,” he said to the younger man.

 

Adam just smiled as he entered the A/V lab, intent on getting caught up so he could see Allison that evening.

 

\----------------------------------

 

When Cory finally made it to work around noon, she found Lydia sitting morosely at her desk.  “You okay?” she asked softly.

 

Lydia looked up, her eyes a bit red.  “Yeah, I just told Sheldon that I wanted to take a break because of my feelings for Derek.   I feel horrible,” she admitted.

 

Cory looked startled.  “Wow.  How’d he take it?”

 

Lydia shrugged.  “He told me he loved me, but if I needed time to sort this out, he was willing to wait for me.”  She sighed.  “I’m just so confused.”

 

Cory patted her on the shoulder.  “That’s understandable.  It’ll work out.  What’s meant to be is meant to be.”

 

Lydia smiled, intent on changing the subject.  “So have you heard anything from Alistair?”

 

“Nope and it’s starting to piss me off,” Cory said with a half growl.  “Okay, I get that he feels responsible for Etienne and he’s probably just as mad as me that Etienne is on the vendetta against us, but why is he shutting me out?”

 

“Maybe because he feels like he should be the one to take him down, but he can’t because technically he’s in your jurisdiction.”

 

“Maybe, but it’s still frustrating.  At this time, I’ve kinda washed my hands of it for now.  I’m not going to call him anymore.  If he wants to sulk, then I’ll let him sulk.  I’ve got other things to think about,” she said with a grin.  “I’ve been finalizing wedding plans all morning.”

 

“Really?” Lydia said with a grin.

 

“Yep.  I’ve chosen the flowers, the caterer—Danny’s choice, by the way—and the colors.  The only thing that is still up in the air is the church.  And I know that Danny wants to be part of that decision, so I’ll have to wait until he decides to come home.”

 

Lydia cocked an eyebrow.  “He didn’t come home last night?”

 

Cory shook her head.  “Nope.  He was on his way, but then Flack showed up with something, so I have a feeling he ended up sleeping in the lab.”

 

Lydia giggled.  “So, tell me all about your plans.”

 

\----------------------------------

 

When Flack and Stella got back to the lab with the Misty, her attorney was waiting for her.  Flack let them have a moment, while Stella gathered all the evidence to confront the woman with.  Danny found her in the lab and smiled. 

 

“Stella?  Let me in on the interrogation.”

 

Stella winked.  “I see that you must have woken up and showered.  You sure you’re up to this?  She’s very smooth.”

 

Danny just smirked.  “You know that I have a way with the ladies,” he said cajolingly. 

 

Stella just rolled her eyes.  “Sure.  You sure you’re not out of practice now that you’re engaged?”

 

“Come on, Stel.  I want her.  I want to nail her for Hawkes.”

 

Stella nodded as she handed over the evidence.  “Go get her.”

 

Danny met up with Flack outside of the interrogation, the file folder in his hand.  Flack nodded as they walked in, taking in the two women who were obviously waiting for them.

 

“It’s about time,” a black haired woman sneered.  “It’s positively indecent to make my client wait for this length of time.”

 

Flack just raised an eyebrow, not willing to take the bait.  “And you are?”

 

“Charlotte Woods, from Gorman, Westin and Jamison.  Ms. Macgregor’s attorney.  And you?”

 

“Detective Flack, Detective Messer,” Flack returned.  “Ms. Macgregor, do you realize why you are here?”

 

Misty raised an eyebrow.  “Because my best friend’s scumbag ex died.  Trust me, whoever killed him, did the world a favor.”

 

“Misty, I’m advising you not to talk,” Charlotte said briskly before turning her glare on to the two detectives.  “And the reason that you’re holding my client?”

 

Danny just shot her his trademark smirk.  “I’ll start from the top.  The victim was killed by Ricin.  Your client here happens to work at a lab that produces Ricin.”

 

“That’s just circumstantial evidence,” Charlotte shot back.

 

“But wait, there’s more,” Danny snarked.

 

“You see, when we asked your client how well she knew the victim, she stated she’d never met him,” Flack picked up.

 

“And that is directly contradicted by the evidence,” Danny said, dropping the folder on the table.  “You see, her fingerprint was found inside the lid of the jar of face paint that the Ricin was mixed in.”  He shot the attorney a look.  “So, you tell me Counselor.  How is that possible when she’s never met the man?”

 

“So Ms. Macgregor, how did your fingerprint get in the jar?” Flack asked calmly.  “Come on, we have enough to charge you on right now.  Why not come clean?”

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Misty said hurriedly.

 

“Come on,” Danny sneered.  “You’re best friend was threatened by her ex.  He said that he would poison her with Ricin and then your fingerprints are found on the murder weapon?  Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out.”  Danny tapped his finger on his lips.  “But here’s what I don’t get.  How did you get access to the face paint?”

 

“Misty, as your attorney, I advise you not to answer that question,” Charlotte interjected before she faced the two men.  “Either charge my client or let her walk out of her.  Those are your options gentlemen.”

 

“Oh, we’re charging her,” Flack shot back.  “What we’re trying to figure out is if we need to charge Angelica Piedmont as well.”

 

Misty’s eyes got wide as the blood drained from her face.  “No.  Don’t.  I’ll talk,” she finally said.  “I was sleeping with him,” she said with a shudder.

 

Flack placed the tape recorder on the table.  “Go on.  When did you start sleeping with him?”

 

Misty looked up at him, her face no longer blank but filled with anger and disgust.  “On and off for a couple of years now.  I had to gain his trust.”

 

Danny looked at Flack in confusion.  “But the emails to his ex-wife didn’t start until a couple of months ago.  Have you two been planning this for that long?”

 

“Like that stupid whiny bitch could think of this.  She has no idea, but my concern is for Jacob.  He’s really a great kid and he doesn’t deserve to lose his mother.  Even if she is an idiot.”  She sighed.  “March 14, 1999.  It’s a day that I’ll never forget.”

 

Even Charlotte was drawn into the story.  “What happened?”

 

“My half brother killed himself.”  She looked up at them.  “I know, you’re wondering what that has to do with anything, but it matters.  He was ten.  I was twenty.  My mother and father split when I was young.  When I was eight, my mom met my stepfather.  Two years later, Brandon was born.  He was such a great kid.  Then that day, I got this frantic call from my stepfather.  Brandon was dead.  He had slit his wrists in the bathtub and my mother was hysterical.”

 

The other three occupants of the room found themselves both puzzled and intrigued as they watched the play of emotions on her face.

 

“I flew home from college and walked straight into a nightmare.  I’m the one that found the suicide note.  It just said, _I’m dirty and don’t deserve to live._   I wondered what that meant for months, until I finally gave in and accessed his email.”  She shuddered.  “God.  The pictures and emails on there from _Jackson_ ,” she sneered, “sickened me.  I knew then what had happened.  I approached my mom with the information, but she refused to listen to me.  To this day, she still says that I lied about it.  He was a friend of hers.”

 

“I just wanted revenge.  So, I searched for him and found the wedding announcement and was determined to get into their lives.  But by the time that I had moved here, they were divorced.”  She chewed the bottom of her lip.  “She told me how sometimes she would see him at the park that she took Jacob to, so I started to go by there and one day, there he was.  I could see the look in his eyes as he watched the boys playing and knew that I had to so something.  So, I was determined to stop him.  The final straw was when Angie showed me the emails.  I took the Ricin from work and put it in the face paint.”

 

Flack and Danny shook their heads, not unsurprised by what she had done, but still wondering why she chose to go down that road, but it was Charlotte who looked most shaken.  “Why didn’t you just go to the police?” she asked.

 

“I don’t know,” Misty responded. 

 

Flack looked at her before pushing a pad of paper towards her.  “I need to write down exactly what happened and sign it.”

 

Misty shook her head. “You know. I don’t regret it.  Not one bit,” she said unapologetically.

 

Danny just sighed as he left, looking forward to going home to Cory and putting this case behind him.  Like it or not, he understood Misty’s reasons for committing murder and he wasn’t sure that he wouldn’t have killed the victim if it has been his family member.

 

He looked at Flack.  “Why am I actually happy that our victim is dead?”

 

Flack chuckled.  “Because he was scum, but even scum deserves justice,” he said philosophically before he proceeded to take Misty to booking, her shaken attorney following them at a sedate pace.


	17. Reflections

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to The Supremes (it was the theme song from China Beach).

Chapter 16.

 

** Reflections **

 

When Danny got home, he was disgusted.  Still shocked by the lengths that Misty went to catch the man responsible for her half-brother’s death, he wanted nothing more than to grab a beer and put the day behind him.  Glancing at the clock, he knew that he had hours before Cory actually got home, so he settled on the couch, the beer bottle dangling between his fingers.

 

He glanced at the coffee table, intrigued by the papers strewn across the glass surface, so he set the beer down and began to look at the papers.  A smile crossed his face as he found Cory’s to-do list for the wedding.  His eyebrow rose as he realized that she had been hard at work.  She had checked off the flowers, stationary, and bridal party gifts off of the list.  He smiled as he read the little note next to the cake, food and church lines.  _Ask Danny what he wants._  

 

He chuckled while he shook his head.  _I don’t care as long as I get to say ‘I do’ to you,_ bella.  Thoughtfully, he checked over her notes and decided to surprise her.  Thankfully, his fiancée was one of the most organized people he’d ever met.  Buried underneath the papers, he found her wedding planner.  Inside, were all her notes from the various parts of the ceremony.

 

He looked at the notes for the various churches that they’d visited.  He vaguely remembered the venues and with her notes to guide him, he searched his memory for his recollections.  The first one on the list, he recalled, was a huge church.  Alexis had been ecstatic at first sight of the church, but Cory and him as both felt it was too big.  As Cory put it, she had planned a five hundred guest wedding and wanted their union to be more intimate.

 

He scanned the list for the church that they had visited last.  It was a small Protestant church that he knew that Cory had been drawn to.  He finally found the name on the bottom of the list and withdrew his cell phone.  Quickly dialing the number next to the name, he made contact with the minister and found that the sanctuary would hold around one hundred people.  Smiling, he thanked the man and made his own note on the page.

 

He continued to go through the list, wanting to help Cory out as much as possible, until his exhaustion finally caught up with him.  Yawning, he finally decided to take a nap around two, making sure to leave the notes on the wedding on the top of papers that Cory had left around.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Cory was staring at the envelope on her desk in disbelief.  “You have got to be freakin’ kidding me!” she muttered in exasperation.  “This looks exactly like the other notes from the ‘school shooter’ case.”

 

Lydia looked at her, shaking her head in disbelief as well.  “Why don’t these guys either put up or shut up?  You know, it’s like in a Bond movie, the bad guys feels the need to go into this long monologue about why they have defeated Bond.”  Cory looked at Lydia with an eyebrow raised as the other woman continued, “You know that in the end, Bond ends up escaping and kicking some serious bad guy butt!”

 

Cory started laughing.  “Okay.  Who are you and what have you done with Lydia?  That sounds like something that I would say!”  She continued chuckling as she opened the envelope, her brow furrowing almost immediately.  “Okay.  Here’s the latest: Thousands talk, few act.  Welcome to the new regime.”

 

Lydia bit her lip.  “I’m calling Derek.  I think he needs to hear this.”

 

“Hear what?” Morgan asked from the doorway.

 

Both women looked up as he walked into the room.  “New note from the school shooter thing,” Cory responded as she held up the note for him to look at.  “But, personally, I think this was written by a different person.  The tone of it is different.”

 

Morgan quickly scanned the simple note.  “Off hand, I’d say you’re right,” he told Cory.  “I’ll fax this over to my team and see what they think.”

 

Cory just nodded as she sighed.  “Good, because I really don’t need anything else on my plate right now.  I mean, I have this thing with Etienne, the fireworks case—which is going nowhere fast—and I’m trying to plan a wedding!” she almost whined.

 

Lydia smiled as she looked at her.  “You okay?”

 

“I’m just tired and Danny and I aren’t getting to see much of other.  That’s the frustrating part and I know that with both of our jobs it’s gonna be like this, but still.”

 

Morgan looked at the two women, obviously confused, but not wanting to intrude.  He cleared his throat slightly.  “So, I’ll get this to the lab,” he finally said, making a hasty exit. 

 

Lydia looked at the redhead for a moment.  “You sure you’re okay?” she asked in a worried tone.

 

Cory just smiled softly.  “I’ll be fine.  I just need things to calm down a bit for a while.  Let me regroup.”

 

Lydia nodded, understanding her frustration.  “Okay.  I’ll catch up with you later.”

 

Cory smiled, feeling a little bit better after her tirade.  “Thanks.  I think I’m going to check with Port Authority again to see if they’ve found anything else.”

 

Lydia just gave her a finger wave as she walked out of the office to find Morgan waiting for her at her desk.  “Hey.  I thought you left?”

 

Morgan just smiled.  “Nope.  I called Hotch and faxed over the note. He promised to have Rossi look at it, so I’m free for now.  But, I have to go back there tomorrow.  We’re going to be going out on a case tomorrow.”

 

Lydia felt her heart drop.  “Oh,” she said as she bit her lip.  “Is that offer for dinner still open?”

 

Morgan studied her, knowing that something was going on.  “Sure.  Pick you up at seven at your place?”

 

Lydia shook her head.  “Pick me up at my parents.  I’m staying there for a while,” she admitted while raising her hand.  “Don’t ask.  We can talk about it tonight.”

 

Morgan just nodded.  “Okay, _Mami._   Whatever you want.”  He reached out and brushed a strand of her hair aside.  “I’ll see you at seven.

 

\----------------------------------

 

When Cory finally left for the day, her frustration at the lack of progress in most of her life was still with her.  Downtrodden, she made her way back to her apartment, the long subway ride giving her little solace. 

 

As she walked in the apartment door, she noticed Danny’s keys and badge on the hall table and smiled happily.  _God, I’m glad that he’s home!  We have hardly had any time together these last few weeks._   Her keys and badge joined his and then she locked up her guns in the gun safe in the hall closet.  As she moved into the living room, she realized that it was too quiet in the apartment for Danny to still be awake, so she paused by the couch, debating on whether or not to continue to work on the wedding plans.

 

Making her decision, she kicked off her shoes under the coffee table and picked up the scattered papers that she had left that morning, noticing that they were in a different order.   Curious, she glanced at the top ones and her eyes opened wide when she realized that Danny had made notes for her.  Feeling giddy, she quickly pulled up her spreadsheet on her laptop and entered his choices into her planner.

 

That only took her a couple of minutes and when she looked at her checklist, she realized that the only things left had to do with their attire.  _Hmm, I really need to get with Georgie to see what he has in mind.  I’d love for him to do all my dresses for the wedding.  For Mom as well,_ she mused.  Quickly, she typed in her notes as she thought about her planned colors for the wedding.  Her dress was going to be a soft ivory, so that it didn't clash horribly with her red hair and she was thinking about putting all the women in green.  _Dark emerald, for sure.  That will look good on everyone.  I’ll email Stella and see if she and Lindsay want to go see Georgie.  Of course, I’ll have to get Beth, Mom and Nicole up here.  I trust Georgie enough to choose a dress that will flatter all of them._

 

She worked for a little more, sending emails to everyone to see if she could coordinate everyone sometime in August or September, after Lindsay had the baby.  She figured that would be a nice outing for them, if Lindsay was feeling stressed with the baby and give her a break.  When she finally looked at the clock, she was stunned to see that it was almost ten.  Yawning, she decided to call it a night and walked into the bedroom, to find Danny sprawled out across the bed, still dressed in his work clothes—minus shoes.

 

Shaking her head, she quietly walked to her dresser to pull out her favorite Cowboy’s jersey—at the moment it was number 82, Jason Whitten.  She figured that he called out to her the most, since he was such a tough player.  As quietly as possible, she slipped into the clothes and then debated on whether or not to wake up Danny, so he could change.  After a moment, she decided to leave him be, since he probably needed the sleep, she pulled down the sheets on her side of bed and slipped unobtrusively into the bed, trying not to wake him up.

 

Danny felt the dip in the bed as he half dozed and smirked.  Raising his head, he took note of his fiancée and raised his head.  “Hey,” he murmured sleepily.  “What time is it?”

 

Cory jumped a little, not expecting him to be awake.  “About ten.  Did I wake you?”

 

Danny shook his head, smothering a yawn.  “Nah, I was just drifting.  Did you get my present?”

 

Cory smiled happily as she turned to look at him, his sleepy eyes and disheveled hair making him look sexy.  Reaching out her hand, she ran it through his hair before responding.  “The wedding plans?  Yeah.  Thank you,” she murmured right back, scooting closer to him.

 

Danny took the hint and moved over, gathering her into his arms.  “I saw all that you had to do and I know that we’ve not seen each other for an extended period of time over the last couple of weeks, so I thought I’d help.”

 

Cory smiled as she chastely kissed him.  “You did, trust me.  I’ve had a rotten day and when I saw that, it’s like a weight was lifted off me.”  She looked into his eyes, seeing the love and concern shining in them.  “Nothing like that,” she quickly reassured him.  “It’s just the fireworks case is going nowhere, this whole thing with Etienne is pissing me the hell off and I’m getting notes from some random person threatening a school shooting.  But, I have no hard evidence on that so there’s nothing I can do.  Then I found out today that Lydia is breaking up with Hawkes!”

 

Danny lifted his head in shock.  “What?!”

 

Cory sighed.  “She has some unresolved feelings for her ex, who is helping us with a case, and decided she needed a break to sort things out.  She didn't want to hurt him.”

 

“Wow.  That’s…wow,” Danny responded.

 

“I know,” Cory sighed before snuggling into him.  “But, I don’t want to think about that anymore,” she breathed as she began to run her hands up and down his body.

 

Danny quickly caught her drift and covered her mouth with his own, his body awakening to her touch and soon neither of them was thinking about anything else but each other.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Lydia was chewing nervously on her thumbnail waiting for Morgan to arrive.  She felt like a horde of butterflies had decided to take residence in her stomach and occasionally would place her hand over her stomach to try to calm her nerves.  In her mind, she knew that she had not reason to be nervous since they had dated for so long, but her heart wouldn’t listen to her.

 

Finally, when there was a knock on the door, she hurried to get it, grabbing her bag on the way.  When she opened the door, she found Morgan waiting for her, in a nice pair of slacks and shirt.  She smiled at him as she locked the door behind her.  “You want to go to Julio’s?” she asked, naming their favorite Mexican restaurant that they used to frequent.

 

“I could go for Mexican,” he responded, grasping her elbow lightly as they walked to the car.  He opened the door for her and then slid in his side for the drive.  They drove silently—him because he wasn’t sure what to say at the sudden turn of events and her because she was so nervous about what she was doing.

 

Finally, they arrived at the hole in the wall eatery and after seated Morgan looked at Lydia expectantly.  “So, what’s going on?” he prompted her.

 

Lydia looked at her hands nervously.  “I broke up with Sheldon,” she muttered quietly.

 

Morgan nodded his head.  “I kinda figured that, _Mami_ ,” he replied.  “I just can’t figure out why.”

 

Lydia sighed as she finally looked at him, her eyes filled with confusion.  “Because I still have feelings for you, Derek.  And I didn't want to hurt Sheldon that way.  He deserves better than a woman who isn’t wholly committed to him.”

 

Morgan smiled.  “I thought you hated me.”

 

Lydia shrugged.  “There for a long time I did.”  She smiled softly as she shook her head.  “I was willing to marry you, Derek, but you just couldn’t commit and I took that as a sign as you really didn't want me that way.”

 

“What changed?” he probed.

 

“I don’t know,” she said on an exhale.  “Maybe I did.  Coming back here to New York has opened my eyes.  I mean, I see how much Cory and her fiancé Danny have been through just to get to the engagement.  Hell, both of them have almost been killed and Cory told me that she just wants them to make it to the wedding.  It made me realize that as a couple, you have to work through your issues together—especially if you want the relationship to survive—and I don’t think that we did that.”

 

Morgan nodded as he took a drink of his beer.  “I kept so much from you.  I thought that you were too good for me.”

 

Lydia raised an eyebrow.  “Never.  If anything, you’re too good for me.”

 

Morgan shook his head.  “No.  When you left, you really opened my eyes.  I started seeing a counselor, to try to get over things that had happened to me in my past.  It was in one of those sessions that I realized that I hadn’t put all of myself in the relationship and that was why if failed.  It wasn’t fair to you.  You were the one person that I should have been able to let my walls down with, but I was too stubborn to do that.”  He looked her in the eyes.  “So, what do you want to do now?’

 

Lydia pondered his question for a moment, her heart racing.  “I think that we need to start over, only it’s going to be more difficult since I live here and you are still in Virginia.”  He nodded as she continued, “But Derek?  This can’t be like last time.  If you want to try again, then we both have to commit fully to this.”

 

Morgan smiled as he reached across the table to twine his fingers with hers.  “I totally agree.  So, let’s take the slowly and see where we end up, okay?”

 

Lydia smiled as his thumb stroked the back of her hand, the feeling familiar, but at the same time new and exciting.  “Okay.  I think I can handle that,” she agreed as they both decided to order without ever looking at the menu.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Hawkes sighed as he unlocked his apartment door.  As he walked into the bedroom, he noticed that Lydia’s clothes were gone and shook his head.  _I don’t get it.  I thought she felt the same thing as I did,_ he thought as he walked to his dresser.  He opened the top room and looked at the ring box nestled in with his socks.  He had been planning to propose the following week.  He had done a lot of thinking in the hospital, in between the visits from the team, and knew that she had been telling the truth.  He admired her for that; not many women would willing admit to the man that she had told she was in love with that she didn’t know if she was in love.

 

As much as it had hurt, he knew that if they ended up staying apart, she had done him a favor.  He sighed again as he sat on the bed, wondering where his life was going to go from here.  He finally stood, intent on getting back to work, so he could distract and prepare himself for the possibility that Lydia was not coming back.  Grabbing his keys, he left to go to the lab, to get back into the swing of things.

 

When he got to the lab, all way quiet, so he made is way into Mac’s office, unsurprised to see his boss sitting at his desk.  “Hey Mac, is there anything that needs to be caught up on?”

 

Mac looked up, surprised to see him there.  “Sheldon, you just got out of the hospital. What are you doing here?”

 

Hawkes sighed and gave him a brief synopsis of what had happened.  “I just need something to do while I sort out my feelings and since the doctor said that I need to take a few days rest before I start running again, I thought of work.”

 

Mac nodded.  “I understand.  There are a few cases backed up that you could do the lab work on, but all and all, it’s quiet right now.  Closing your case was the main focus for the last couple of days.”

 

“You found out what happened?” Hawkes asked curiously.

 

Mac just nodded and filled him in.  When he was done he gestured at the door.  “Go, take your mind off of things, but don’t let your thoughts compromise the evidence,” he cautioned.

 

Hawkes nodded.  “I won’t, boss.  Thanks,” he uttered gratefully as he made his escape into the lab, determined to keep his mind too occupied to think about his personal life going to hell.

 

 

 


	18. Jeremy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Pearl Jam. Also, Hathaway Prep belongs to Axellia, so I don’t own that, but I am very grateful to her for letting me use it!

Chapter 17.

 

** Jeremy **

 

About a month later, at the end of May, Cory was feeling less stressed.  Her and Danny had worked together to try to finalize the major details of the wedding and thankfully their caseloads were making that easy.   She hadn’t gotten any more anonymous notes and Etienne seemed to have gone underground.  She had spent her free time either listening to Lydia about what she wanted to do about her feelings for Hawkes and Morgan or baby shopping with Lindsay, who was feeling increasingly uncomfortable with her due date looming.  Cory thought back to the baby shopping spree they had been on the previous weekend where she kept trying to trip Lindsay up to get her to reveal the sex of the baby.  Needless to say, she hadn’t succeeded.

 

As she sat musing at her desk, she let her mind wander, recalling any bit of information that may have escaped her.  It was in that introspective mood that Lydia found her, the other woman looking slightly breathless.  Cory looked up at her, instantly deciding that something big had happened.  “Okay, spill.  What’s wrong?” she asked Lydia bluntly.

 

“School shooting,” Lydia began before Cory’s cell phone rang. 

 

Cory raised her eyebrow when she read the caller ID.  “It’s Mac.  Hold on,” she told Lydia before answering.  “Reid?”

 

 _“Cory, its Mac.  Have you seen the news?”_ Mac said abruptly.

 

“Lydia just told me there was a school shooting, but other than that, nope,” she responded.

 

_“Not one school shooting.  There’ve been three.  Hathaway Prep, a high school in Queens and one in the Bronx.  Flack is on his way to Queens, I’m on my way to the Bronx, but Hathaway Prep has requested the FBI on this.”_

 

“What?!” Cory asked, flabbergasted.  “Mac, you’re not going to believe this.  For months I was getting notes alluding to a school shooting, but I couldn’t find any evidence to back it up.  I’ll grab my team and get over there immediately.”  Cory was standing up as she was talking, grabbing her gun out of her desk and nodding to Lydia to get the team ready. 

 

As she walked out of the office, she made a stop by Agent Michaels’ office to let him know what was going on.  Within moments her team was loaded into two department issued SUV’s and on their way to Manhattan. 

 

Cory deftly wove through the traffic, her sirens for once making people get out of the way.  When she arrived at the school, a haven for some of the wealthiest children in Manhattan, she was greeted by a mass of flashing lights from police cars, fire trucks and ambulances.  She quickly put the SUV in park and climbed out, flashing her badge to the uniform standing in front of the tape.

 

As she walked towards the command center, she saw Angell standing there, a rebellious look on her face.  She walked up next to her and said, “Hey, Angell.  What’s the situation?”

 

Angell turned, a relieved look on her face.  “Cory, I’m so glad you’re here.  The Headmaster, Anton Williamson, is absolutely uncooperative with the NYPD.  He insists that he will only deal with the FBI.”  She shook her head, obviously upset at the man’s lack of confidence in the police.  “From what we’ve gotten from students that escaped, the perp is Preston Lords III.  The entire school was in the auditorium for an end of school talent show when he walked in.  Looking like someone out of Rambo,” she looked at Cory’s raised eyebrow.  “Student’s words, not mine.  Anyway, he opened fire and then managed to lock himself and fifteen students in the auditorium.  We’re at a standstill now.  No contact from him and with the headmaster not cooperating, things are…interesting.”

 

Cory nodded as she turned to find the headmaster.  “Don’t worry, Jess.  I’ll take care of him.”

 

Angell just smiled as the small by feisty redhead walked away, wishing that she would be a fly on the wall after Cory got done with him.

 

As Cory walked up to the distinguished headmaster, she chanted to herself to keep calm.  She knew that she would not accomplish anything by allowing him to take emotional control of the situation.  She nodded to the uniform that was standing next to the man as she flashed her badge.  “Mr. Williamson, I’m SSA Corinne Reid. I was told that you only wanted the FBI to handle this situation.”  She saw his swift appraisal of her and was thankful that she had chosen to wear something that was understated elegance.  She knew that in this situation, just presenting herself as coming from the same social circle as he was in would help to reinforce her authority.

 

Mr. Williamson took in her attire; suit by Chanel, shoes by Jimmy Choo and knew from the way that she walked that she was from a moneyed background.  Immediately, he felt more at ease.  “Agent Reid.  Preston is a good kid.  I don’t know what could have caused him to do this.”

 

Cory nodded.  “I understand.   Can you tell me what he’s like?  Is he a loner?” she probed him.

 

He shook his head.  “No, nothing like that.  Preston is the Student Council president; he’s on the basketball team.  He’s really popular.  Like I said.  A good kid.”

 

Cory nodded with the knowledge that he didn't fit the profile of a school shooter.  “What kind of extracurricular activities besides basketball and the student council did he participate in?”

 

Mr. Williamson thought for a moment.  “Let me think for a minute.  He’s the president of the French club, he was working on trying to put together a foundation to help those less fortunate and he was participating in leadership workshops aimed at creating the leaders of tomorrow,” he responded somewhat pompously.

 

“Sounds like a pillar of the school.  So what happened at the talent show?”

 

“Um…Alyssa Montgomery was on stage, singing a song when the door to the auditorium flew open.  Preston walked in, carrying a couple of big guns with ammunition strapped across his chest like in a movie.”  He looked at Cory, disbelief evident in his eyes.  “He just started shooting.  It wasn’t like he was aiming for a specific person, he just started shooting.”

 

“What happened next?” she questioned softly.

 

“The kids started to panic and began to run.  I thought everyone was out, but when we did a headcount, fifteen people were missing.  I think that they were all backstage at that point.”

 

“How many people were injured?   Was anyone killed initially?”

 

“I don’t know.”

 

Cory held her frustration in check.  “Do you have surveillance cameras in the school?”

 

“Of course,” he responded in an affronted voice.  “We are very high tech here.  We have metal detectors at every entrance.”

 

Cory looked up at that.  “What?  If you have metal detectors then how did he get into the school with a gun, much less what sounds like an arsenal?”

 

“I don’t know,” he responded.

 

Cory ground her teeth together and she fought down her normal response by counting to ten in her head.  “Look.  I know that this is difficult for you, but I need all the information that I can get to try to mitigate any potential losses.  Has he made any demands?” she asked even though she thought that it was unlikely.

 

“No.  He hasn’t done anything other than get everyone into a locker room.  He’s a good kid.”

 

Cory shook her head as she turned to walk away, feeling like the man didn’t really grasp the seriousness of the situation.  “Please, find me if you think of anything that might be helpful,” she said as she strode back to Angell, the irritation on her face matched the detective’s.

 

Angell smiled as she saw Cory walking towards her.  “So, did you come down on him?” she asked with a smile.

 

Cory shook her head.  “No, as much as I wanted to, it wouldn’t have worked.  But I saw the way that he looked me over, so I must have passed his test.”

 

Angell rolled her eyes.  “I’m not good enough?” she asked sarcastically, to which Cory responded with a laugh.

 

“It’s not that, Jess, but I was a debutante.  He can see that when I walk, so I have that small connection.  Makes him comfortable with me, so I get more info.  Don’t feel bad.  But I did get some information.  They have security camera and metal detectors.  We need to get that feed.  I need to get eyes in there.”  She looked at the other woman.  “Is Adam available?  Do you think he could hack into the feed?”

 

Angell shrugged.  “Depends on what he’s doing.  Can’t your tech guys do it?”

 

Cory sighed.  “I’ll ask, but I’m not sure,” she said as Lydia walked up.  “Hey, Lydia.  Can you get the tech guys on to jacking into the security feed in the school?  That’ll give us something to work with.  Some inside knowledge.  I also need the blueprints, so we can determine where he actually is in the school.  Can we get a line in there?  I want to know his demands.”

 

Lydia looked at her.  “Do you think it’s what the note was talking about?”  Cory just looked at her.  “Okay.  Gotcha.  I’m on it.  I’ll get Derek on the phone for you as well.  He might be able to predict what he’ll do.”

 

Cory nodded as she settled back against the command center, trying to figure out what the next move was going to be.  As her mind raced, she began making her plans.  “Angell?  I need to set up a command center.  I know that I need to be in contact with Mac and Flack.  This is probably a coordinated attack,” she instructed the detective.

 

Angell just nodded.  “Okay.  I’m on it.  I’ll let you know when it’s set up.”

 

“Thanks,” Cory said as she kept making plans in her head.

 

An hour later and everything was set up.  Cory was wearing an earpiece that was keeping her in contact with both Mac and Flack, who were both reporting similar situations.  Lydia had set up a line for her, but so far no response to the hostage negotiator.  Unfortunately, they had yet to get the security footage.  The security company said that somehow the feed was being blocked.

 

“Mac?  Flack?  Y’all there?” she asked in the headset.

 

 _“Here,”_ they both responded.

 

“Okay, the latest stuff that I’m getting is that the security feed is being blocked somehow.  Is it the same thing on your end?”

 

 _“The security cameras are basically non-existent here,”_ Mac responded.

 

 _“Same thing here,”_ Flack confirmed.

 

Cory bit her lip.  “Then I’m going to steal Adam and see if he can get me some eyes in there.”

 

 _“Feel free to use him, Cory,”_ Mac told her.  _“We’ll let you know if we get any more info, but since you’ve been getting the notes, I’m willing to let you take point.”_

 

“Thanks, Mac.  I’ll let you know,” Cory said as she looked up as Angell walked into the small room.

 

“The negotiator is not getting any response.  Lydia asked me to ask you if you’ll try.”

 

“Yeah.  I just want to make sure that they all walk out of there,” Cory said, climbing out of the truck.  As she hit the ground, she looked up and was surprised to see Danny and Lindsay climbing out of the SUV.  “Lindsay!” she called out.

 

The heavily pregnant CSI smiled and waved to her as she and Danny made their way over.  “Hey, Mac sent us over.  He figured that every scene had to have two CSI’s.  Stella and Hawkes are going over to Flack’s scene and Adam is going to join him at his.”  She saw the question in Cory’s eyes.  “I’m here because I’m an expert in blood spatter analysis.  Don’t worry, I promise to be sitting the majority of the time.”

 

“Okay.  I’m going to hold you to that,” Cory said with a smile as she walked to wear the negotiator has set up shop.  “What do you know?”

 

The trained agent sighed.  “He has one of the hostages picking up the phone, but he refuses to make any demands.  Says that the time isn’t right.  This is all coming from the hostage though,” he informed her.

 

“Let me try.  Maybe I can get through to him,” she said as she picked up the phone.  She waited as it rang. 

 

 _“Hello?”_ a young female voice answered.

 

“This is SSA Corinne Reid.  May I talk to Preston, please?”  Cory waited with bated breath as there was a muffling sound on the phone.  Finally, the phone was uncovered and a young male voice rang through the lines.

 

“Agent Reid, I wondered if you were going to end up here,” he said with a sneer in his voice.

 

Cory raised an eyebrow, but kept her voice calm.  “Well you have me, so what can I do to get those people out of there safely,” she returned.

 

Preston laughed.  “There’s nothing I want that you can provide Agent Reid.”

 

“Really?” Cory drawled back.  “You know, everyone who holds hostages wants something, Preston.  Since you obviously know what’s going on in other parts of the city, why don’t you just come clean with me?”

 

“Not yet,” he shot back.  “I’ll call you when I’m ready to talk.”  And with those parting words the phone line was disconnected.

 

Cory sighed in frustration as she put the phone down.  Shaking her head, she turned back to Lydia.  “Do we have the blueprints?  I don’t think we have much time and I want a team ready to go in and take him down.  And did you get in touch with Derek?”

 

“They just got here and I left a message for him, but I think he may be in the field,” Lydia responded, waving a roll of paper at her.  “I’ve talked to the headmaster and I think that I know where they are.”  She rolled out the blueprints on the table and pointed to the auditorium.  “Here’s the auditorium and the headmaster said that he thinks they may be in a locker room.  I thought to myself, this guy seem to be very organized.  Somehow he got weapons past the metal detector and is blocking the security camera, so if I were him…” she trailed off as Cory’s face lit up.

 

“I’d go to the most secure room that I can.  One without windows to the outside and if possible only one way in.”  She raised an eyebrow.  “I take it you found something?”

 

Lydia nodded.  “Yeah.  There are a series of locker rooms back there, but they are all new.  The school renovated a couple of years ago and one of the old locker rooms was left in place.  Kinda like a private bath for the coach.  It’s big enough to hold fifteen to twenty people easily.”

 

“Okay, so how do we get there undetected?  I’ve got to assume at this point that he is controlling the security and if we try to go in there, he’s going to kill everyone.”  Cory started to continue, but the phone rang.  “Reid?”

 

“Time is up, Agent Reid,” Preston said with an almost fanatical edge to his voice.  “The revolution is here.”

 

Cory felt the blood drain from her face as she heard him put the phone down and then heard the obvious popping of a gun firing.  Without thinking, she pulled her gun and began to go in.  “Shots fired,” she said lowly, not wanting to alarm the onlookers.  She saw Danny withdraw his gun and shook her head.  “I need you to stay here with Lindsay,” she said to him.  “I don’t know how he’s armed and I only want my SWAT team to enter right now.”

 

Danny nodded his head.  “Stay safe,” he said as he fought down the urge to kiss her.

 

“Always,” she responded with a wink.  Then she made eye contact with her team and drew a steadying breath to enter the school, unsure of what she was going to find.  Over her headset, she heard similar conversation going on with both Mac and Flack and knew that this was all orchestrated.  As she got closer to the room which they suspected Preston was in, the more she believed that they were going to find carnage.

 

When they reached the door, she stepped aside, to let the man with the battering ram come to the front, in case it was locked, but it opened easily.

 

“Damn it,” she growled as she followed the men in to a floor full of blood and the smell of death.  “Damn it all to hell!”


	19. Youth of the Nation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to P.O.D. Also, Hathaway Prep belongs to Axellia, so I don’t own that, but I am very grateful to her for letting me use it!

Chapter 18.

 

** Youth of the Nation **

 

Cory felt her heart in her throat and a rolling feeling in her gut as she made her way into the school.  She knew, deep down, that it was unlikely that any of the hostages were alive, but was holding out hope that she was wrong.  As they walked through the deserted halls, she caught a glimpse of the amenities that a private school had and wondered for the first time in a long time why her parents had put her into public school.

 

Shaking thoughts from the past out of her head, she stepped quietly down the elegant hall, Lydia and the rest of the team steps behind her.  As she reached the door to the auditorium, she held up her hand to stop the team and turned to look at each one of them.  Her team returned her gaze, understanding that they were probably walking into a blood bath.

 

Cory drew in a silent breath as she nodded for Lydia to open the door.  As she walked in, her eyes scanned the room automatically, taking in the sight of three bodies in pools of blood.  She knelt next to them, feeling for a pulse and shook her head when she found none.  Rising, she lifted her gun in front of her, her anger building at the senseless deaths of the three students.  She carefully stepped over the bodies and purposely strode towards the door to the locker rooms.  Remembering the floor plans in her head, she stopped at the final door and steadied herself.  She nodded to her team and then opened the door.

 

When she saw the bodies inside, she took a breath, holding back tears at the sight of the remaining twelve bodies of the hostages lined up in a group by the wall and the lone body that must have been Preston Lords III.  _God, why did this happen?_

 

\----------------------------------

 

When Danny walked into the small room, he saw Cory leaning up against the wall, her face downcast.  As much as he wanted to go over there and comfort her, he knew that they had to keep in professional.  He studied the room instead, taking in the blood spatter that covered the room.  He was suddenly glad to have Lindsay with him.

 

“Jesus,” Lindsay breathed from behind him.  “This was a massacre.”

 

Danny turned and looked at her, making sure that she was okay.  “I know.  I need you to study the blood patterns and see what they tell you.”

 

Lindsay nodded as she sat her case down and began to photograph all of the patterns.  She progressed through the room silently, motioning for Cory to move to show her the wall.

 

Cory looked at Lindsay.  “I picked the one clean wall in the room,” she said lowly.

 

“I know, but still, if we need to recreate the scene, then I can with pictures of everything,” Lindsay responded.

 

Cory just nodded as she turned to walk out of the room, her heart heavy with regret.  Lydia followed her, knowing that she was probably beating herself up.  “You know you couldn’t have prevented this,” Lydia told her boss.

 

Cory bit her lip.  “My mind knows that, but my heart is telling me something different.”  She sighed again, before deciding that she needed to talk to Mac and Flack to see what had happened at their scenes.  She quickly reconnected her earwig.  “Mac?  Flack?  Either of y’all there?”

 

Mac answered her first.  _“I’m here.  None of the hostages survived,”_ he said with a quiet anger that mirrored Cory’s own.

 

 _“Same here,”_ Flack confirmed with a bite in his voice.

 

Cory sighed as she rubbed her hands on her shoulders, trying to release the tension and prepare herself for the press conference that they were going to have to have.  “Okay.  I’ll meet y’all at the lab.  This is connected somehow and connected to _me_ more importantly.  I think we need to rehash all the evidence that we have so that we can find out what caused this,” she said, the calm in her voice belying the fact that she was furious.

 

 _“It’s going to be a while before we are finished processing the scene,”_ Mac confirmed.

 

 _“I’ve already sent detectives to the houses of the shooters,”_ Flack informed them. _“Once I get their notes, I’ll head over to the lab.”_

 

“Make sure that they get the kid’s computers.  I’ll send Lydia to my shooter’s house to do the same.  We’ve got to find the connection.”  After Flack and Mac agreed, she took off the headset, giving herself another chance to calm herself before she had to face the parents.  Exhaling deeply, she walked out of the school, a determined look on her face.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Six hours later, everyone had finished processing their scenes and had reconvened at the lab.  Cory, still shaken from her meeting with angry and upset parents, was sitting quietly in the AV lab, waiting for Adam.  Since the meeting had ended an hour prior, with a multitude of angry questions and accusations from the parents of the murdered children, she had gone over all the information in her head, but still didn't see how she could have prevented this.

 

When the young man finally walked into the room, a somber and disturbed look on his face, Cory felt sorry for him.  She knew he had very little experience in the field and if Mac’s scene had looked anything like hers, then Adam was probably much shaken.

 

Adam was still trying to put the images of the massacred teens out of his mind, when he looked up to see Cory sitting in the lab.  He studied her and realized that his job wasn’t nearly as hard as hers.  “Hey,” he said softly.

 

Cory smiled.  “How are you?” she asked, wanting to make sure that he was okay.

 

“A little disturbed, but I’m okay,” he answered honestly.  He looked around at the computers that the three groups had picked up.  “I guess I’m going to be busy for a while.”

 

Cory nodded.  “Probably, but I want you to look for any electronic communication between the three shooters.  Emails, chat rooms, IM’s.  Anything.  This was too well coordinated to have been random and they must have planned this.”

 

Adam nodded.  He and Mac had discussed that very possibility on their drive back.  “Mac warned me.  Anything else?” he queried, eager to get to work.

 

Cory nodded.   “Yeah, check for any research into Columbine or the 1966 shooting at the University of Texas at Austin.  They may have been interested in that.”  Cory turned to leave, eager to see what else evidence the teams had brought in.

 

Adam just watched her walk away briskly, knowing that she suspected something else going on.  Sighing, he put his ear buds in and began to work.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Danny, Mac and Stella were in the ballistics lab, cataloguing the guns from the scenes.  Danny shook his head.  “Jesus, there’s enough weapons here to arm a small country,” he quipped. 

 

Stella just shook her head.  “How did three high school kids get their hands on all of this?” she wondered aloud as she gestured to the table where all the weapons were lying.  There was a variety of semi-automatic handguns, assault rifles and shotguns.  All in all, the final total of guns was forty-two.  “I mean, these are not your normal guns that you can just buy off the street.”

 

“I agree,” Mac said.  “We need to fingerprint them and then study the striations on the bullets.”  Stella and Danny nodded as they each began to process the weapons. 

 

As Danny studied the AK-47 that had been at the feet of Preston, he noticed a glint.  Squinting a bit, he withdrew a cotton swab and ran it over the slide on the top of the gun.  He placed the swab aside and then moved to place the guns in the fogging case for fingerprints.  He hoped that he found more fingerprints than just those of the shooter.

 

He had just processed the third gun, this time a semi-automatic shot gun, when Cory walked in.  He glanced at her and smiled.  “I don’t have anything for you yet,” he informed her.

 

“I know,” Cory said with a return smile.  “But, I just need to feel productive and there’s nothing that I can do right now.  Lydia’s interviewing my perp’s friends and family and the NYPD has the other two covered.”

 

Danny sensed her frustration.  “Why don’t you grab some clothes from the locker room and go work out for a couple of hours.  That’ll give us time to try to make heads or tails of all the ballistics.”  He saw her hesitate.  “We do have treadmills and I know that you love to jog.  Go.  I’ll call you if I get anything.”

 

Finally, Cory nodded.  “Fine.  I could use an hour on the treadmill, especially if I want Georgie to make my wedding dress.”  She put her hand on her stomach.  “I’ve gained weight the last couple of months.”

 

Danny just laughed.  “Really?  I can’t tell; you look beautiful, _bella._ ”

 

Cory rolled her eyes.  “What ever.  Call me if you find anything.”

 

Stella and Mac shared a glance as they watched the interaction between the couple.  As Cory left, Stella shot Danny a smile.  “How’s the wedding planning going?” she asked as she placed another gun in the fogger for prints.

 

“Ya know, pretty good.  I think we’ve got all the major things taken care of, but I’ve never done this before, so I don’t know for sure.”

 

Mac grinned.  “Cory’s organized, so I’d bet that it is all taken care of.”  He paused to look at some trace on the gun he was processing.  “I wonder what the substance is on the grip of this gun.”

 

“I’ve found it on most of my guns, too,” Stella interjected.

 

“Me, too,” Danny responded, holding up the cotton swabs that he had used.  “Once I get all of these printed, then I’m going to see if the mass spec can tell us anything.”

 

Mac looked at Danny.  “Why don’t you go do that now?  Stella and I can take care of printing and then test firing all of these.  And then start to help Lindsay with the clothes of the perps.  Hawkes is downstairs helping Sid right now.”

 

Danny nodded as he walked towards the trace lab, nodding to Lindsay, who was sitting on a stool while she pulled trace from the clothes.  “How you doing, Montana?”

 

Lindsay smiled.  “My back hurts, my ankles are swollen and I feel like a beached whale.  Other than that, I’m good,” she said sarcastically.

 

“Geez, Lindsay,” Danny said, holding his hands up in surrender.

 

Lindsay sighed.  “Sorry, I’m just really tired.”

 

“It’s fine,” he said as he clipped off the end of the cotton swab to begin the process.

 

Both of them dropped into silence as they were engrossed in their work. After about thirty minutes, the mass spec started to kick out the results.  He picked up the paper for trace that he had pulled off the gun and began to read.  “Boom!”

 

 


	20. I Don’t Like Mondays

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Boomtown Rats.

Chapter 19.

 

** I Don’t Like Mondays **

 

Cory was panting, sweat pouring down her face when she heard the phone ring.  Looking down at her watch, she realized that she had been running for close to an hour and checking the distance on the treadmill, she was happy to see that she had gone almost five miles.  Wiping her face with her sleeve, she answered the phone.  “Reid.”

 

 _“Cory?  I’ve got something,”_ Danny told her. 

 

“Really?  What?” Cory asked in between breaths.

 

_“Black powder on the guns.”_

 

Cory almost dropped her phone, her mind immediately going to the fireworks case she was working on.  “What?   How the hell did they get their hands on smuggled weapons?”

 

_“I don’t know, but that’s what I found.  Mac and Stella are finishing up with the fingerprints and it looks like Flack’s coming back with his notes.”_

 

Cory looked down at herself.  “Okay.  Let me hit the shower and I’ll be up there in a few minutes,” she said as she hung up the phone to hit the shower.  Good to her word, ten minutes later, she was out of the shower and pulling her wet hair back into a bun to keep it from dripping.  She quickly made her way back to the lab to find a group of people waiting on her.

 

She walked in and smiled at the group before turning to Danny with a raised eyebrow.  “So, black powder?  Was it a match?” she asked referring to the black powder they had found at a previous crime scene.

 

Danny nodded.  “Perfect match.”

 

Cory turned to Flack, Angell and Lydia.  “Okay, so tell me about these kids.”

 

With a nod to the other two, Lydia began.  “Okay, you already know a lot about Preston Lords III, but I’ll go over everything again.  His grandfather, Preston Lords Sr. made it big in the import/export trade in the late fifties, early sixties.  Needless to say that family is a pillar of the community.  Our kid grew up with the proverbial silver spoon.  Pampered, but good natured.  Tended to look out for those less fortunate than him.  The family and staff had nothing but nice things to say.  There was no indication that he was not the perfect little rich kid.”

 

Cory nodded.  “The headmaster told me about his extracurricular activities, so nothing unusual there.  No fights with him family?  Bad breakup?”

 

Lydia shook her head.  “Nope.  He has been dating the same girl since his freshman year and they were even planning on going to the same college together.”

 

Cory looked at Flack who began, “My girl, Laquandra Harring, also seemed to be the perfect student.  Straight A’s, member of the National Honors Society and was getting a free ride to Stanford next year.  A free ride that she definitely needed since her parents can barely afford to pay the rent.  As for extracurricular activities, she was in the band, volunteered at a homeless shelter and was part of the students “Leadership of Tomorrow” club.”

 

Mac picked up right where Flack left off.  “William Cooper, a.k.a. Big Bill, was on the football team, but also a straight A student.  He was from a middle class family and a tutor for those kids on the sports team that weren’t making the grade.  He had a full ride to University of Southern California on a football scholarship next year.  From what his friends told me, he was just using the scholarship to go to college.  He didn't plan on turning pro, but wanted to go to law school and eventually go into politics.”

 

Cory leant on a table, her face pensive as she thought over what they had found out.  “All right, so the only commonalities that these students have are that they were all seniors, popular, active in trying to improve their communities and had a ton of extracurricular activities.”  She paused, her right index finger tapping her lips.  “What could cause these students to shoot up their school?  It doesn't make sense.  How do they know each other?  It’s not like they travel in the same social circles.  You got blue blood, middle class and low class.”

 

Mac pursed his lips.  “They were all leaders in there schools.  Maybe they met in a leadership seminar,” he wondered.

 

Flack, Angell and Lydia looked at each other.  “Let’s get a list of the seminars they attended and see if we can find anything that matches,” Flack instructed.  Angell and Lydia nodded as the three of them turned to leave.

 

Cory thought about something as Lydia was leaving.  “Hey, Lyd?  Any word from Morgan?”

 

Lydia nodded.  “Yeah, he’s in Seattle right now, but he said that he’d review the case evidence once they are done with their case and see if he can shed any light onto motives for our shooters.”

 

“Okay, thanks,” Cory replied.

 

Mac looked at Cory after they left.  “So, this is obviously connected to the smuggling case.  Do you have any more info on that?”

 

Cory shook her head.  “Nope.  After my initial raids, there’s been nothing.  I think that they’ve moved their operations, but I don’t have any solid leads.  I’ll keep working that angle, though.”

 

Mac nodded as Adam walked into the room.  “What do you have, Adam?” he asked.

 

Adam sighed wearily.  “Nothing.  I’ve combed through all of their computers, but I don’t show any interaction between them.”

 

“Chat rooms?  Nothing?” Cory queried.

 

Adam shook his head.  “Not that I’ve found yet, but all three of their browser histories have been wiped clean.  It’s gonna take some time to reconstruct it.”

 

Mac looked at the tired young man.  “Why don’t you go home and come back tomorrow after you’ve had some rest?”

 

“You sure, boss?” Adam asked with surprise.

 

Mac nodded.  “Yeah.  I think that should go for all of us.  We need some fresh eyes.”

 

Cory smiled, knowing that Mac’s order was meant for her, too.  She looked at Mac as Adam left the room.  “All right.  I caught your hint, I’ll go home, but only if you take your own advice.”

 

Mac nodded.  “I was just about to grab, Stella.”

 

Cory grinned and looked at Danny, “You ready to go?”

 

Danny just cocked an eyebrow.  “Since Mac is making us?  Yeah.  Wanna stop by Frankie’s?”

 

Cory thought for a moment and then realized she hadn’t eaten since breakfast.  “Sure, I’m starving.  Let’s go.”  Wrapping his arm around her shoulders for comfort, Danny and her left.

 

\----------------------------------

 

When Danny and Cory got to Frankie’s, they sat at their normal table, but Danny chose to sit next to her and kept his arm around her.  “Why don’t you tell me what happened?” he asked softly, knowing that her distress from earlier was unusual.

 

Cory sighed as she looked down at the white tablecloth.  “For months I’ve been getting anonymous notes about a possible school shooting.  They referenced Columbine and the tower shooting at UT Austin.  I warned the superintendent that there could be violence, but he said there was nothing that he could so.”  She looked up at him, tears shining in her eyes.  “I could have stopped this, Danny.  I should have.  And because I didn't, fifty people died.  Fifty _children_!”

 

Danny tightened his arm around her, sensing how much she was blaming herself.  “How could you have stopped this?  Did the notes say specifically when the shooting was going to take place?”  She shook her head.  “Did they say who the shooters were?”  Again, she shook her head.  “Was there evidence on or in the notes that could have warned you to the magnitude?”  She shook her head again.  “Then stop beating yourself up.  You could not have prevented this.  I’m willing to bet that you did everything in your power, even bringing in someone to profile the shooter based on the notes.  You couldn’t have done anything else, _bella._ ”

 

“But—” she began before Danny put a finger on her lips.

 

“But, nothing.  You are not responsible.  End of story,” he said forcefully.

 

Cory finally sighed as she laid her head on his shoulder.  “Fine.  My head knows that, but you’re not going to be able to convince my heart of that.  I just need to find out why all of this is connected to me.  Why was I the one getting the notes, ya know?”  She shook her head again.  “Plus, something that Preston said is bothering me.”

 

“What?” Danny probed. 

 

“He said that he’d wondered if I was going to be the one he got.  What the hell did he mean by that?”

 

Danny shrugged.  “I don’t know, _bella,_ but I do think that you are right.  This was too organized and I just don’t think that these kids were capable of that.  Someone else is behind this.”

 

Cory just bit her lip as their waiter, Marco, came to take their order.  “I guess we’ll just see where the evidence leads us,” she said in resignation and the forcefully made herself forget about the day.

 

\----------------------------------

 

The following day, Cory decided to go into her office first, to give Adam some time to go over the computers.  She woke up at five and reluctantly pulled herself out of Danny’s arms.  As she took her shower, she went over the weapons smuggling case in her head, frustrated at the lack of evidence that she had in that case.

 

When she finally got to the office, Starbucks in hand, she decided to comb back through her initial findings to see if she could discover anything that she had missed.  She walked through the quiet department, unsurprised to see Lydia sitting at her desk as well.  “I think we may have had the same thought,” she said to the other woman as she perched on her desk.  “Find anything we missed?”

 

Lydia looked up.  “Not a damn thing.  The only thing I can think to do is to re-interview all the employees at Port Authority.  See who might have a motive for getting some cash on the side.”

 

“But, our initial interviews didn't yield anything,” Cory countered.  “What if we do background checks on all the employees.  Maybe see if one of them has any connection to our shooters.”

 

“I already did that,” Lydia replied as she pulled three sheets of paper from the pile on her desk.  “Turns out that there are three.  Each having a connection to one of the shooters,” she said with a smirk.  “First, Alejo Espino.  His wife, Margarita Espino works for the Lords as a housekeeper.  He works at the Brooklyn Port Authority Marine Terminal in Red Hook as a fork lift driver.”

 

Cory raised her eyebrow at that as she skimmed over the papers that Lydia had handed her.  “Likely suspect, then.”

 

“Next, we have Tang Lan.  He was a homeless person whom Laquandra helped out in the homeless shelter.  She was listed as a reference for him on his employment application.  He works at JFK as a baggage handler.” 

 

“Really?  Okay, another likely suspect.”

 

“And finally, Nnamdi Boateng.  He lives in the same building as William Cooper and is from Ghana.  He works at Howland Hook Marine Terminal in Staten Island as a baggage handler.”

 

Cory looked at Lydia in amazement.  “Did you go home last night?”

 

Lydia laughed.  “For a couple of hours, but my mind wouldn’t stop whirling, so I got here about three a.m.,” she admitted.

 

Cory shook her head in amazement.  “Okay, you are going home early today.  Actually, now that things are fairly slow, I order you to at least take a nap or something.  I have a feeling that once Adam gets the browser histories reconstructed, we will be really busy.”

 

Lydia smothered a yawn.  “Fine, I’ll go take a nap, but call me if anything changes.”

 

“Don’t worry, I will,” Cory promised her as she took the files into her office to instigate a deeper background check into the three suspects.


	21. Complicated Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Finger Eleven.

Chapter 20.

 

** Complicated Questions **

 

When Adam got to the lab, he was on his second Monster of the day.  He was fairly bouncing out of his sneakers, but he had an idea of how to get the reconstruction done.  He started with Preston’s computer, methodically searching through the deleted but unwritten data to see if he could find anything.

 

Six hours later, he was done with all three computers.  Looking at the history, he still didn't see anything that connected the shooters, until he looked at the email address books.  Smiling, he noticed one common email address.  _SonOfABullet@hotmail.com._ Smiling, he quickly paged Mac.

 

“What did you find, Adam,” Mac asked briskly as he walked into the lab.  “Nothing in the browser histories that connected three shooters, but I did find one common email address.  I was not able to find any of the emails that were sent or received by that email, but it might be a place to start,” he quickly filled Mac in.

 

“Do you have a name for the owner of the email address,” Mac queried.

 

Adam shook his head.  “Nope, but I’m trying to pin down the IP address of the computer that it was created on.  It’s going to take some more time since whoever created the email has been bouncing the signal from towers across the world.  It would be more helpful if person was active right now, but I’m not finding him online at the moment.”

 

Mac nodded as he quickly pulled out his cell phone to call Cory.

 

 _“Reid,”_ Cory answered briskly, reading the in depth background checks that she had one on the three people that she suspected as being involved.

 

“Cory, Adam may have found a commonality.  It’s an email address, _SonOfABullet@hotmail.com._   Do you recognize that?”

 

Cory thought for a moment.  _“No, I don’t.  But, I have three possible suspects.  Do you have a name to go along with it?”_

 

“No.  It was registered anonymously.  Adam is trying to track the IP address down right now.”

 

_“Okay.  Tell his to check for the names, Alejo Espino, Tang Lan or Nnamdi Boateng.  All three of them work for Port Authority and are connected to the shooters in some way or form.  I’m reading the background checks that I did on them, but I’m not finding anything unusual as of yet.  I’ll let you know if I find anything.”_

 

“Okay.  I’ll let him know,” Mac responded before quickly disconnecting the call and relaying the information to Adam.

 

Adam looked thoughtful for a moment.  “Okay, I’ll see if I can connect any of them to the email, boss.”

 

Mac nodded.  “Let me know.  I’m going to help Lindsay and Danny with processing the rest of the clothes from the victims, see if there’s anything unusual there,” Mac responded.

 

\----------------------------------

 

At her office, Cory continued to skim the pages of information that she had.  She had gotten everything that she could get without having a warrant, since she knew that she had no probable cause yet.   Finally, she sighed to herself and went to rouse Lydia out of her slumber.

 

As she walked into the break room, she discovered that she was awake and smiled.  “You have good timing,” she said as she sat down at the table.  “I didn't discover anything unusual with the background, so I think we need to go interview all the suspects.  See if we can rattle them into slipping up.”

 

Lydia blinked her eyes a couple of time.  “Sounds like a plan, who do you want to hit up first?”

 

“I checked with their employers and the only one not working today is Alejo Espino, so since he lives in Manhattan with the Lords, I think we should start there.”

 

“Let me freshen up a bit and then let’s hit the road then.”

 

An hour later, the women were knocking on the door of the Lords’ penthouse suite.  A butler answered the door and when apprised of what they needed, he led them to a small sitting room.  Within moments, their suspect walked in.  “Alejo Espino?” Cory questioned.

 

“Yes,” the middle aged man answered.

 

“I’m SSA Reid and this is Special Agent Sanchez from the FBI.  Do you mind if we ask you a few questions?’

 

Espino shook his head.  “No, not at all.”

 

Cory smiled.  “How well did you know Preston?” she began.

 

He smiled.  “I’ve known him since he was a baby.  Always a good kid, he never looked down on me because my wife is the housekeeper.”  His smile grew.  “When he was nine or ten, he wanted to know what I did for the Port Authority and I explained to him that I moved big boxes around.  He was fascinated and so he begged his father to let him come to my work to see that.  Eventually, his father wore down and he got to come see me.”

 

Cory looked at the man, struck by how much he genuinely seemed to care about the deceased murdered.  “So, was he always like that?  Curious?”

 

“Yeah, I told him that it wasn’t a hard job, but it was an important one.  That’s when he started to realize that if it wasn’t for the working class, his life would be a lot harder.”

 

“Did you notice any changes in his behavior the last couple of months?” Lydia asked.

 

Espino shook his head.  “Not really, he was always pleasant to me, but he did become a lot more interested in my job.”

 

“Do you know why?” Cory asked, hoping that her suspicions were correct.

 

“No, he just always wanted to come up there and look around.  I found him one day last week, poking around some crates and I told him that he wasn’t allowed in that area because of safety concerns, but he just shrugged it off.  That seemed a little strange.”

 

“Do you know what was in the crates?”

 

“Not a clue, but then again, they don’t give guys like me a manifest of the cargo.  I just get to move it.  The only people that know what’s in the cargo are the inspectors.  They are the ones that check for illegal contraband.”

 

“Have you heard about anyone smuggling things into the country?” Lydia probed.

 

Espino laughed.  “I always here stories about that, but I could never prove it.”

 

Cory looked at him.  “Have you heard anything about smuggling weapons in crates of fireworks?” Cory asked.

 

Espino thought for a moment.  “Just vague whispers, but they were coming from JFK, not Brooklyn.  Is that what this is really about?”

 

Cory wavered for a moment.  “Yes and no, but somehow I think that both things are connected.  What can you tell me about the rumors?”

 

“That’s all it is.  Rumors.  It was something about weapons being put in fireworks so that they are undetectable by either the dogs or the scanners, but I’ve never found any hard evidence to back it up.”  He cocked his head to the side.  “Come to think about it, it’s been a couple of weeks since I heard anything about it.”

 

“Do you know how something like that would be possible?” Lydia interjected.

 

“It’d be easy,” Espino confirmed.  “All you would have to do is get an inspector in your back pocket.  They make the decision on what crates are randomly tested.”

 

Cory stood up, sure that the man had nothing to do with her cases, and withdrew her business card.  “Please, if the rumors start back up, don’t hesitate to call me.”

 

He looked at the card that she handed him.  “No problem, Agent Reid,” he responded as the two women stood up.  “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to help you more.”

 

“Thanks for your time,” she responded.  Once outside she looked at Lydia.  “Somehow, I don’t think that any of our suspects are that high on the totem pole to be involved in the smuggling.”

 

Lydia shrugged.  “You never know, but nonetheless, we need to interview them all.”  As they got off the elevator, she looked at her boss.  “So, JFK first?”

 

“Might as well,” Cory conceded as they got back in the SUV.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Adam was dancing to his iPod when his computer beeped.  Amazed he looked at the screen, before rushing to the keyboard and tapping impatiently on the keys.  When the information he wanted finally pulled up, he grinned triumphantly before rushing to find Mac.  He looked around the lab, but didn't see Mac anywhere.  Shaking his head, he had turned to go back to A/V when he spotted Mac at the elevator.  “Mac!” he called out.

 

Mac turned around and saw the triumphant looked on Adam’s face.  When Adam got close enough to him, he asked, “What did you find?”

 

“I found the IP address and the computer is currently active, so I triangulated the location and here is the address,” he said rushing his words together.

 

“Whoa, Adam slow down.  What’s the address?” he asked the excited young man.

 

“Here, it’s in Manhattan,” Adam said, handing Mac the slip of paper that he’d written the address on.

 

“Good job, Adam.  I’ll call Cory and have her meet me there,” Mac said in a fatherly tone.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Cory and Lydia had just left Staten Island when her phone rang.  “Reid?” she answered.

 

 _“Hey, Cory.  Adam found an address on the location of the email address we found.  It’s in Manhattan,”_ Mac said.

 

“Really?” Cory answered in surprise.

 

_“Yeah, do you want to meet me there?  I should have the warrant by the time you arrive.”_

 

“You have to ask?  Give me the address,” Cory responded instantly.  She quickly repeated the address to Lydia, who wrote it down.  “I should be there in about an hour, depending on traffic.  I’m just leaving Staten Island.  I’ll see you there.”  She grinned as she hung up the phone.  “Maybe we’ll get some answers.”

 

Traffic was a little lighter than she had imagined as she pulled up to the address that Mac had given her.  Cory looked up in shock.  “I know this place.  We’re not that far from my place,” she mused.  “Why do I know this place?”

 

Lydia looked at Cory, who was obviously confused.  “Maybe you’ve walked past it before.”

 

Cory looked at Lydia shaking her head.  “I never look that the buildings when I walk by.  I always look at the people walking.  God, this is driving me crazy.”  She was lost in thought as she got out of the car.  As she walked onto the sidewalk it hit her.  “Oh! I know where I’ve seen this!” she cried excitedly.  “It was on a surveillance photo that my informant gave me on Etienne.  It was of him walking into this building.”

 

Lydia looked at her in shock.  “What?!  You never told me that.”

 

“It’s been crazy,” she muttered as she reached over and grabbed her briefcase.  “Here are the photos,” she said extracting the photos and handing them to Lydia.

 

Lydia studied the photos carefully.  “Who are these people that he’s with?”

 

Cory pursed her lips.  “I don’t know and never found out.  My informant has been rather silent as of late,” she admitted.  She was about to continue as a crime lab SUV drove up.  Mac, Danny and Stella exited the vehicle, with Flack getting out of the one behind them. 

 

Mac looked at Cory.  “Traffic light?” he asked.  Cory nodded.  “Good, I have the warrant and the apartment number is 1015.”

 

“Okay,” Cory said as she checked her gun to make sure that she was ready.  “Let’s do this.”

 

Flack nodded as they entered the building to get the building superintendent.  “I’m Detective Flack with the NYPD and this is SSA Reid with the FBI.  What can you tell me about the occupant of apartment 1015?”

 

The balding man looked at the group.  “Not much.  Moved in about six months ago, quiet, keeps to himself.  Never complains.”

 

Cory looked at him, “Do you know his name?”

 

The man nodded.  “Dominic Caspian.”

 

Flack looked at Cory, who had furrowed her brow.  “That ring a bell with you?” he asked dryly. 

 

Cory shook her head.  “I thinks so, but I’m not sure,” she said before turning to the man.  “Can you take us up there and open the door if there is no response?”

 

He readily agreed and led them to the elevators.  The group was silent as they rode up to the tenth floor.  When the doors opened, Cory and Flack took point, guns at ready in front of them.  Cory looked cautiously at the halls as the super led them to the apartment. 

 

Flack motioned for the super to stand behind them and knocked on the door.  “Mr. Caspian!  NYPD!  Open up.”  There was no response, so Cory nodded her head to the super to open the door.  Once it was open, she motioned for the man to get as far away from the door as possible.

 

Cory opened the door slowly; it swung open with ease and walked in.  The first thing she noticed was the sound of music.  _Vivaldi?_ she wondered in amazement.  Then she noticed the complete absence of furniture.  She looked at Flack who nodded for her to proceed.  Together, they cleared the public rooms.  Then they walked towards the source of the music, a bedroom off of the hall.  Carefully, they opened the door, to find a table in the middle of the room, a computer resting on top of it.  Cory walked around to view the monitor and felt the blood rush from her face as she looked at the screen.

 

“Cory?” Flack asked hurriedly.  “What’s wrong?”

 

Cory just pointed to the screen as she moved back from the computer as if it would hurt her.

 

Flack walked around the table.  He looked at the screen, which had a Word document on the screen.  “Better luck next time, Agent Reid.  Etienne.”


	22. Decode

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Paramore.

Chapter 21.

 

** Decode **

 

Flack looked at Cory, understanding now why the blood had drained out of her face.  “Cory?  This mean something to you?”

 

Cory nodded her head.  “Maybe,” she bit out as she strode out of the room.  She passed Mac and Danny, both of whom stepped back at the expression of rage etched on her face, and walked out the door and up to the super.  “Can you describe Mr. Caspian to me?” she asked.

 

“Well, he’s about five-eight, five-nine, black hair, spoke with an accent,” the man informed her briefly. 

 

Cory ground her teeth together as she withdrew a picture of Etienne from her breast pocket on her jacket, a picture that she was never without.  “This him?”

 

The man nodded.  “That’s him.”

 

Cory thanked him quickly and turned on her heel, barely containing her anger.  As she walked back into the apartment, she looked at Lydia.  “I’m leaving.  You coming with me?”

 

Lydia was taken aback by her almost harsh tone.  “Um, sure.  You okay?”

 

Cory shook her head, her eyes glittering.  “Nope, I’m about to have a long conversation with Alistair.”  She turned to Mac.  “Can you get that computer to Adam?  I want to know everything that is one it.  Run it for DNA and fingerprints, too.  Although, if it really was Etienne that left me that message, I doubt that he’ll have left anything behind to be useful.”

 

“Not a problem.  What about the school shootings?”

 

Cory shrugged.  “You can probably close that out on your end.  Although I know that someone else was controlling them, I don’t have the proof right now and all the evidence that we have right now, ties it back to my open case.”

 

Mac shook his head.  “I don’t want to close it, yet.  Maybe we can find something that’ll help you out,” he informed her, not wanting to turn yet another case over to the FBI.

 

Cory smiled.  “Do what ya gotta do, but I don’t know if you’ll find anything.”

 

“My call,” Mac stated.

 

“Understood.  You can reach me on my cell if anything comes up,” she said as she and Lydia turned to leave.  “Danny?  I have no idea of what time I’ll be home.  Stay safe.”

 

“You, too.  Try to keep some perspective,” Danny said softly as he watched her leave.

 

After she’d left, Danny turned to Mac.  “I think that this is going to be the death of her.  I swear if I ever run across this Etienne guy, I may kill him for the shit that he’s putting her through.”

 

Mac patted Danny on the shoulder.  “She’ll be okay.  She’s a strong and determined woman, so in the end, she’s gonna get him.  Why don’t you bag the computer and I’ll start fingerprinting the place.”

 

“You got it, boss,” Danny said as he walked back into the bedroom.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Lydia wisely didn't say anything until they were almost back to the office.  “What do you want me to do, Cory?” she finally asked.

 

Cory sighed, she’d been planning things out in her head.  “First, I’ll give you a list of all the known aliases of Etienne and I want you to run them.  Airports, bus stations, train stations, car rentals. The works.  This guy has been in the city, within throwing distance from me for at least six months.  I want answers.  I want to find him.  At least get a record of when he entered the country.”  She looked at the other woman, grateful for her understanding.  “I swear, I’m going to stay on the phone with London until Alistair answers the phone.”

 

Lydia looked at her.  “Would it help if I tried to get him on the phone?”

 

Cory exhaled.  “Honestly, I have no idea.  He’s been avoiding me since I found out that he knew who Etienne was and I don’t know why.  I just want answers and help.  If this guy is as connected as I suspect, then it’s going to take both of us to bring him and whatever organization that he works for down.”

 

“You could be right.  So my question is, why get the teens to shoot up a school?”

 

“I have no clue.  It doesn't fit in with what I know about him, but I know absolutely nothing of his organization, so maybe it’s part of a grander scheme,” Cory mused, thinking about her terrible vision of the destruction of New York and the ones that she loved that lived there.  _God, I hope to hell that that is not connected._

 

\----------------------------------

 

When Mac and Danny got back to the lab, they immediately handed the computer over to Adam.  Mac looked at him seriously.  “I want to know everything that was ever viewed or typed on this computer and I need it yesterday,” he instructed.

 

“On it, boss,” Adam returned, still full of energy from his two Monster’s earlier in the day.  He went to work on it, scanning the email and browser history, unsurprised to see emails from all three of the school shooters on there.  While he was reading the emails, the earliest dating to three years prior, he wondered over the evolution of the students.  The emails started out with them being very cautious, but over the course of the three years, they grew increasingly fanatical.  The last entries comprising of a manifesto of what was wrong with America and why it needed to be cleansed.

 

Shaking his head, he then pulled up the browser history, finding a list of schools for weapons training.  Intrigued, he made a note to see if any of the students had attended the training courses, but thought it was unlikely since he knew that they had to be eighteen enroll.

 

He grew increasingly disturbed when he opened up a Word document that outlined how exactly to bring down America, but using the economy.  Shaking his head, most of the financial lingo was over his head, but he understood enough that he knew that someone was planning a massive attack on Wall Street, since the document clearly stated that capitalism needed to be eliminated.

 

A feeling of trepidation rose in his stomach, as he clicked the link in the file.  A spreadsheet opened up, but was password protected.  He quickly ran a program to try to break the code, but realized that it could take a couple of hours, depending on the level of encryption.  Needless to say, he was very surprised when within a few moments, he had cracked the code.  _That was too easy,_ he thought to himself, but opened the document.  Within moments of seeing the document, he realized that it was out of his league, and decided to email it to Cory.  Knowing that with her background in forensic accounting, she could probably decipher it.

 

He was attaching the document in an email when Mac walked in.  “Find anything?” he asked.

 

Adam nodded his head.  “Yeah, I did.  It looks like all of the emails between the three students went through this one point.  I can’t tell by the emails, but I don’t think that the three of them ever met in person.  The emails start off innocently, but by the end of them, they keep repeating that America needs to be cleansed of the anarchy of capitalism.  There are a couple of financial document that I can’t make heads or tails of, so I’m sending those to Cory to see if she can work it out.”

 

“Is there anything specifically tying these shooters to Etienne?” Mac queried. 

 

“A couple of the later emails thank him for bringing the problems to light and for keeping them from being corrupted by the system, but that’s all.   One thing though.  This was the easiest encryption that I’ve ever broken.  Seriously, Mac, a five year old could do a better encryption.”

 

Mac pondered that for a moment.  “So, what do you think?”

 

“I think we were meant to see this.  From what I’ve gleamed from you, Danny and Cory on this guy, he’s way to smart to leave information about this on his hard drive, knowing that it was going straight into the hands of the FBI.”

 

“I agree.  Send that over to Cory and put your surmise in there, too.  She’ll appreciate your thoughts.”

 

“Will do.  I’ll keep investigating this and see if I can find any files that he was truly trying to hide,” Adam remarked as he quickly typing in his email to Cory and hit the send button.  Settling back in his chair, he knew that he was in for a long night.

 

\----------------------------------

 

By the time that Cory had been on hold for Alistair for close to an hour, Lydia was done with her research into Etienne’s aliases.  She grabbed her notepad and walked into Cory’s office.  “Hey, I found something, but I don’t know if it’s going to help at all.”

 

Cory motioned for her to come in and close the door.  Pushing the speaker on her phone, she laid down the handset and nodded.  “What’d you find?”

 

“Three plane tickets in his aliases.  One to Vancouver, one to Paris and one to China.  All three of them were scheduled to leave earlier today.  So, I called the airlines and all three of them were no shows.”

 

Cory sighed.  “So, he’s still in New York?”

 

Lydia shook her head.  “I don’t think so.  There were also a couple of train tickets, but there is no way to track those.  He could have given them to anyone to use.  A lot less security there.”

 

“Options?”  Cory asked her, wanting to see exactly what Lydia had up her sleeve.

 

Lydia smiled.  “I already sent people to the station to see if they can ID who picked up the tickets, but I don’t expect anything back yet.  Anything with Alistair?”

 

Cory shook her head.  “I’m on eternal hold.  I’ve even tried calling his boss, to no avail.  I’m at the end of my rope with him.  I’m just, done.”  She was about to say more when a British voice picked up the phone.  Cory mouthed thank god before speaking, “Yes, I need to speak to Alistair Murphy, please.  This is a matter of extreme importance.”

 

 _“May I ask who is calling?”_ the woman responded.

 

Cory glanced at Lydia before smiling.  “Special Agent Lydia Sanchez with the FBI,” she lied smoothly.

 

 _“Thank you.  I’m connecting you now,”_ the woman said.

 

The phone rang a few times before it was picked up.  _“Agent Sanchez, to what do I owe this pleasure?”_ Alistair answered.

 

“Try Agent Reid, Alistair.  You’ve been avoiding me and I want answers,” Cory said calmly.  There was no response.  “Alistair?  Please, I need your help.  Etienne is planning something and has somehow managed to brainwash three really good kids into committing murder and somehow, I think you might know something that will help.  Please, just talk to me,” she begged.

 

The only response she got was a dial tone.

 

“That’s it,” she ground out between gritted teeth.  “This has gone on way too long.  I don’t give a rat’s ass what his reasoning is, but I’ve tried being nice.  I’ve tried waiting, this ends now.”  Cory picked up the phone again and quickly scheduled a flight to London.  “I leave in four hours.  That gives me enough time to go home and pack.  Can you handle things here for me?” she asked Lydia as she started gathering up her things.

 

“Of course.  Do what you have to do, Cory.  I’ll handle things here until you get back,” Lydia assured her.

 

Cory smiled gratefully.  “Thanks.  I’ll owe you one.”  With that Cory left her office, the only thing on her mind was how to get the answers she so desperately needed.


	23. I Don’t Care

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Apocalyptica.

Chapter 22.

 

** I Don’t Care **

 

When Danny awoke the following day, he was surprised to see that Cory’s side of the bed was still empty.  Puzzled, he grabbed his glasses and cell phone and quickly called her number.  She picked up in a matter of moments.

 

 _“Hello,”_ she said with a sheepish sound to her voice.

 

“Okay, _bella,_ it’s nine a.m. and you didn't come home last night?  Please tell me you got sleep.”

 

Cory mentally hit herself upside the head for forgetting to inform him that she was leaving the country.  _“Um, actually yeah.  I got plenty of sleep, but...um…I’m in London.”_

 

“You’re what?!!” Danny exclaimed, not believing that he had heard her correctly.

 

 _“I’m in London,”_ Cory sighed.  _“I’m sorry.  I was so upset yesterday when Alistair hung up on me that I just forgot.  So I decided to come here so that I could confront him to his face.  God, I’m such a bad fiancée.”_

Danny shook his head, upset with her lack of thought.  “Look, Cory.  I get that you’re obsessed with catching Etienne and why you’re pissed off at Alistair, but you can’t let this rule your life.  This is not like you.  You are not one to drop everything and just fly off somewhere.”

 

Cory bristled at the disappointment in his voice.  _“Actually, it is.  Remember me.  The girl who moved to New York to catch Ortiz.  This is part of me and if you’re just going to have to deal with it,”_ she shot back.

 

“No, I don’t have to just deal with this, Cory.  There are two people in this relationship and you’re being selfish right now.”

 

Cory grew silent for a moment before shrugging.  _“Look.  I can’t deal with this right now.  I’m trying to get into InterPol to see if I can convince Alistair to come clean.  We’ll talk when I get home,”_ she finally said before hanging up.

 

Danny resisted the urge to throw the phone across the room.  Just barely.  Only the thought that he needed the phone for work kept him from doing that.  He finally climbed out of the bed, still pissed off and knowing that he still had half the day to go before he was supposed to be in a work.  Sighing, he decided to go to the gym, to see if he could work out some of his feelings.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Six hours later, he was feeling much calmer as he walked into the lab.  He knew that he had probably overreacted to Cory’s lack of thinking, but he still didn't think he was wrong.  When he got into the lab, he immediately went back to processing the clothes from the shooters, hoping to find something, anything to connect Etienne to them.  He knew that the likelihood of that happening was slim to none, but until he got a new case, that’s all he was going to be spending his time doing.

 

As he walked past Mac’s office, he noticed the Stella and Mac engaged in a lively conversation and wondered what it meant.

 

Mac was smiling at Stella.  “You’re completely right.  We haven’t been out of the house recently and we need to rectify that.”

 

“I know.  We need to do something, have dinner and a movie, you know.  A real date.  Like regular couples,” she said teasingly.

 

“Since when were we normal, Stel?” Mac quipped back.

 

Stella opened her mouth to respond, but Mac’s phone interrupted her.

 

“Taylor,” he answered in his usual brisk manner.

 

 _“Detective Taylor, I’m Lieutenant Michael Lafferty of the Hamptons Bay Police Department.  I need your assistance,”_ the man on the other end of the line said somberly.

 

“How can I help you?” Mac answered.

 

 _“I have a crime scene,”_ Lieutenant Lafferty paused, groping for words.  _“To be honest with you detective, it’s the scene out of my worst nightmare.  My people are not capable of working it.  Can you help me?”_

 

“What are the details?” Mac questioned, his curiosity peaked.

 

 _“It’s best that you find out for yourself detective.  Let’s just say that it has massive casualties, so you need to bring as many people as possible,”_ the man responded vaguely.

 

Mac furrowed his brow, sensing that the man was withholding valuable information that he thought might dissuade him from helping him.  “Why won’t you tell me anything else,” he persisted.

 

The man sighed.  _“I’ve had seasoned veterans—veterans that were there when the towers fell and that aftermath—who became violently ill upon seeing this scene.  Please, Detective.  I need help,”_ he pleaded.

 

Mac swallowed hard and then acquiesced.  “All right, let me get my team together and we can be there in three to four hours,” he agreed, thinking of the distance that they would have to drive.  “Keep everyone out of the crime scene,” he cautioned.

 

Lieutenant Lafferty forced a laugh.  _“Trust me.  That will not be a problem,”_ he assured Mac.

 

Stella looked at Mac, sensing that something major had happened.  “What’s wrong?” she asked, worry etching her voice.

 

Mac sighed gustily.  “Hamptons Bay PD is asking for assistance on what he is alluding to a gruesome scene with massive casualties.”

 

Stella raised her eyebrows in surprise.  “Really.  Okay, so I take it that he’s requesting a team?”

 

Mac nodded.  “Are you up for a trip to the Hamptons?”

 

Stella smirked.  “Of course.  I’ll grab Danny and Hawkes.  They are working the swing shift today.”

 

\----------------------------------

 

Four hours later, Mac, Stella, Danny and Hawkes were driving up to the imposing ruins of a multimillion dollar mansion; it’s burnt out remains starkly illuminated by the full moon.

 

Danny suppressed a shiver at the sight and silently wondered what could have been so bad that the local police could not deal with it—not even to give them a warning of what they were walking into.  They grabbed their cases and began to walk towards the building, the smell of smoke and the unmistakable sweet smell of burned flesh lingering in the air.

 

As they got closer to the desecrated mansion, the team noticed the grim faces of the guards standing around; in fact, a lot of the guards seem to be holding back waves of nausea in the green tint to there complexions was any indication. 

 

When they arrived at what used to be the front door, they saw a heavy set man waiting for them, his face unreadable.  When the team got close enough, he stepped forward and extended his hand.  “I’m Lieutenant Lafferty,” he introduced himself.

 

Mac met him and shook his hand.  “I’m Detective Taylor,” Mac started as he began the introductions to the team.  Once finished, he looked the man in the eyes.  “Okay, now that the pleasantries are out of the way, please tell me what you were dancing around on the phone about.  What didn’t you want to say?”

 

The Lieutenant shifted uncomfortably before motioning for them to walk towards the parked cars.  Looking at each other, the team followed and when the reached them, Lieutenant Lafferty leaned against one of the SUV’s.  Sighing, he rubbed his hands over his face, tiredly.  “You know, this is a quiet community,” he muttered, shaking his head.  “You’d never suspect something like this happening here.”

 

Intrigued, Mac looked at the man, who was clearly shaken.  “What happened,” he asked quietly.

 

“I don’t know.  That’s the problem,” he responded, clearly frustrated.  “All I know is that at three a.m. the security monitoring company contacted the fire department about a fire in the house.  When they arrived, the place was in flames.  Totally engulfed.  They fought the fire for four hours before getting it under control.”

 

“Do you know what caused the fire?” Danny asked.

 

Lieutenant Lafferty shook his head.  “Other than we know it was arson, no.  The fire investigators are trying to determine the point of origin, but it’s going to take a while to get the results from them.”

 

Stella shook her head.  “So far, it seems all pretty routine.”

 

The lieutenant nodded. “Yeah, it wasn’t until we were allowed inside that the case turned.”  He visibly steeled himself for what he was about to reveal.  “We began the recovery process since we had been unable to locate the owners.  We assumed that they had been in the house.”

 

“Were they?” Hawkes interjected.

 

The man sighed.  “Honestly, I don’t know.  We never made it past the first floor due to the horror of what we did find.”  He looked straight at Mac.  “In the dining room we found approximately twenty burned and desecrated bodies.  That’s why I called you, Detective.”

 

Mac nodded.  “Do you have any idea of the identity of the victims?”

 

Lafferty shook his head.  “No.  This house belonged to an elderly couple.”  He consulted his notes.  “Mikhail and Nadezhda Pasternak.  Damn, that’s a mouthful.  They moved in about twenty years ago and pretty much kept to themselves.”  He thought for a moment.  “Actually, I don’t think I ever saw _him_.  She was seen shopping around town and was a kind soul.  She was always concerned with making sure that the homeless had a place to live.”  He smiled wryly.  “It was a joke around here that the only way to see the inside of the house was if you were homeless.  They didn’t entertain.”

 

Mac nodded again.  “So could the bodies be of those homeless people?”

 

“Some of them possibly,” he confirmed.  “But, we don’t really have a homeless problem here, so there should only be a couple of people besides them.”  He gazed at the house, the ill feeling rising in his stomach again.  “I wanted to tell you this in person and I hope that it helps your investigation,” he concluded before walking away.

 

Mac turned to his team.  “Stella, call Adam and see if he can run a background check on the owners and also get us pictures.  Maybe we can get an ID on them.”  Stella nodded and quickly pulled out her phone.  “Hawkes, when Stella is done, I want you and her to take the first floor.  Danny and I will start with the second floor and work our way up.”  Hawkes nodded as Danny bent over to pick up his kit.

 

“I don’t have a good feeling about this boss,” Danny said as they began to walk back to the house.

 

Mac nodded.  “Neither do I, Danny.  Neither do I.”

 

\----------------------------------

 

When Danny and Mac entered the house, both tried to ignore the smell of burned flesh.  Danny glanced to the right and saw what must have been a formal living room, covered in soot and ash.  Then he glanced to the left and suppressed a shudder of horror.  That room must have been the dining room that the Lieutenant had referred to, as he could see a multitude of burned bodies lying on the floor.  He focused ahead and gazed at the grand staircase, which looked unscathed other than the black soot of the fire resting on it.

 

The entry hall itself must have been twenty feet wide, with the staircase dominating it.  He glanced up at the twenty foot ceiling and saw a glass chandelier suspended above the stairs.  _Wow,_ he thought to himself and tried to imagine the place free of soot and how imposing that it must have been for visitors. 

 

Both Mac and he made their way to the staircase cautiously, stepping lightly on the first step, just in case the heat and water had compromised it, but they were in luck.  The staircase was made from marble, so it was still sound enough to bear their weight.  Silently they proceeded up the staircase, both unsure of what horrors lay in wait for them.  Once at the top, he looked at Mac.  “I’ll go left, you go right?” he questioned.

 

Mac nodded.  “Yes, but be very careful; I don’t want you falling through the floor.”

 

Danny nodded in consent and turned to his left, staring at the destroyed paintings on the wall.  He proceeded with caution, making sure of each step before placing his full weight on the floor and was surprised by the solidity of his footing.  _Huh, I guess the fire wasn’t so bad after all.  That doesn’t make sense, though.  Lafferty mentioned that the house was totally engulfed in flames when the fire department got here.  Maybe it was just contained to part of the house._

 

He opened the first door on his right and found what looked like an office.  A mahogany desk sat in the middle of the room, the computer on its surface looked to be completely ruined.  He looked at the ceiling to see a sprinkler head gleaming in the middle of the room.  Carefully, he sat down his case and extracted his camera, photographing it.  _I guess the sprinkler system worked,_ he reasoned.  Water was still in puddles on the floor, warping the once fine wood that graced the room.

 

He looked at the computer, wondering if they might be able to salvage anything from it, but decided that it took a backseat at the moment, knowing that if anyone could salvage it, Adam would.  Seeing nothing out of the ordinary in the room, he walked back into the hall and made his way down to the next room, wondering what this house would say if it could talk.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Mac was making a similar journey on the other side of the hallway, except he was finding what obviously were guest rooms.  He took a glance in the closet of the first room, finding nothing but hangers in it and reasoned that the room was not in use.  The second was the same, but in the third, he found some men’s clothes.  He carefully withdrew them from the closet after photographing them and studied them carefully. He determined that the man in question was approximately six feet tall and wore a size 38 slack.  He looked carefully around the night table, trying to see if he could find some ID, but didn’t find anything that could be use to determine who the mystery man was, or if he was one of the victims in the dining room.  Dispassionately, he bagged the clothes, hoping that they might be able to pull some hair or DNA from it to make a match.

 

Pausing for a second, he glanced out the window, taking into account the ornamental bars that cut into the view, shaking his head; he knew without a shadow of a doubt that if anyone had been in this room at the time of the fire, they would not have been able to escape.  Shaking his head, he walked back out of the room, to continue his exploration.

 

 


	24. Feel Good Drag

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Anberlin.

Chapter 23.

 

** Feel Good Drag **

 

When Cory finally got back to her hotel room, she was experiencing a myriad of emotions.  She was pissed off at Alistair, since she had spent the entire day at InterPol headquarters, only to be blocked by the Iron Maiden they called a receptionist.  When she had finally left at ten p.m., she had concluded that Alistair had slipped out the back.

 

The only problem was that while she was waiting, she had way to much time on her hands.  Time to think over her fight with Danny and concede that he had made some valid points.  _Am I really being selfish?_ she thought.  She knew that in some way she was.  She had withdrawn from him in the recent months because of her vision of the destruction of New York City because she didn't want to burden him with something that devastating. 

 

She let her mind muse over that as she got ready for bed, her gut telling her that her vision was tied to Etienne for some reason.  Sighing, she decided to do something that she rarely did.  She was going to see if Armando could give her answers.  “Armando?” she called out softly so not to awake the people in the rooms next to her. 

 

He appeared immediately with a smile.  “You rang?” he quipped.

 

Cory just raised an eyebrow.  “What can you tell me about my vision of the destruction of New York?”

 

Armando looked at her.  “I don’t know much more than you.  Only that sometime in the near future, it’s possible for that to happen.  I don’t know when or how.”

 

“Is Etienne behind it?” she queried earnestly.

 

Armando looked at her.  “You know that I can’t tell you anything, Cory.  I’m only the messenger, not the person who is going to solve it for you,” he said somberly.

 

Cory rolled her eyes, his answer telling her that it was very likely that Etienne was involved.  The cogs in her mind turned as she realized that there had been three school shooters and three cities that had been destroyed.  Maybe there was something significant with that.  “Fine, don’t tell me and let me not figure this out and millions of people die because of this,” she said waspishly. 

 

Armando appeared to sigh.  “Fine, but this is all you’re getting out of me.  Yes, he is involved, but he’s only part of it.  The rest you have to figure out on your own, Cory,” he conceded as he vanished.

 

Cory just shook her head as she thought about what else Danny had said.  She knew that he was wrong about her not letting her emotions affect her, hell, she had moved to New York to catch Ortiz, but she thought he was right that he was letting Etienne affect her to much.  For some reason he had just gotten under her skin and that was an unsettling revelation.

 

Sighing, she picked up her phone, knowing that she needed to make things right with him and was willing to try to talk it over like two adults.  As the phone rang, she wondered how she could make up her lapse in judgment to him.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Meanwhile at the lab, Adam was dancing along with his music, he had written the names of the couple that Stella wanted him to research on a notepad and was just starting his research when he felt a tap on his arm.  He looked up to see a flushed Lindsay standing there.  “Hey Linds, you okay?” he asked her.

 

Lindsay shook her head.  “Sorry, my back has been killing me all day and I think that I’m having Braxton-Hicks contractions.  I’m going to head home.”

 

Adam nodded, concern darkening his light blue eyes.  “Are you sure you’re okay?  You want me to call Flack or something?”

 

She shook her head.  “Naw, he’s working an overnight shift and I don’t want to disturb him right now.  If Mac calls will you let him know?”

 

Adam smiled as she turned to walk out of the room and was about to say something when she bent over in pain, a small scream ripping through the air.  He was by her side in an instant.  “Lindsay?” he questioned in apprehension as a pool of water crashed to the floor beneath her.  “Shit,” he exclaimed as he realized what had happened.  “You’re in labor!”

 

Lindsay panted, grasping his arm in both pain and fear.  “No, I can’t be!  I’m not due for another three weeks!”

 

“Well it looks like the baby doesn’t want to wait,” he said, trying to project a pretense of calm while his heart raced.  “Let’s see if we can get you to the hospital,” he said, beginning to steer her in the direction of the elevator.  They stopped only moments later when another contraction hit her. 

 

“Don’t think there’s time,” she panted, her eyes wide with fear.

 

Adam nodded; his jaw clenched as he changed directions and guided her into the break room, pulling the blinds closed for privacy.  “You don’t mind if I call in reinforcements, do you?” he said and not waiting for an answer pulled out his phone.  “Sid?  Can you come up here, now!  Lindsay’s in labor and the baby is almost here!” he exclaimed, panic lacing his voice.  After he hung up with Sid, he quickly called Flack.

 

_“Flack.”_

 

“Flack?  It’s Adam.  Lindsay’s in labor at the lab and there’s not enough time to get to the hospital,” he stated, trying to calm his hysteria.

 

 _“What!”_ Flack exclaimed, much to the surprise of the officers standing around his crime scene in Staten Island.  _“Damn it!  I’m in Staten Island right now.  I’ll get there as soon as I can,”_ he returned before abruptly hanging up the phone and trying to figure out who would be the closest person to cover him.  Sighing, he dialed Angell’s number, knowing full well that he would be interrupting her date with Ovidio, the undercover FBI agent she had met before Thanksgiving the previous year.  Within moments, he was on his way to the lab.

 

A moan of pain brought Adam back to reality as he watched Lindsay grip the arm of the couch so hard that her knuckles turned white.  “God, Lindsay, what can I do?” he stammered nervously as Sid walked in the door. 

 

“You need to get her to concentrate on her breathing,” the medical examiner advised from the door.

 

Lindsay almost sighed in relief when Sid walked in, knowing that he was at least a doctor and would ensure the health of her baby.  Sid closed the door behind him, with a look telling the gathering group of CSI’s that this was not for their view.

 

“Adam, go get me a few towels from the locker room so that we can give Mrs. Flack her privacy,’ he instructed.  Adam nodded gratefully and shot out the door like the beasts of hell were on his heels.  He looked back at Lindsay, noticing the faint panic that was still in her eyes.  “Don’t worry, Lindsay, I’ve delivered babies before.  I’m only here to guide nature along; you’re doing a fine job by yourself.”  Lindsay nodded, feeling herself calm enough to begin the breathing exercises she had learned in Lamaze class.

 

Adam rushed back into the lab, carrying a stack of clean towels from the locker room.  He held them in his arms and awaited the instructions from Sid.

 

Sid looked at the nervous young man, chuckling a bit at the panic on his face.  “Lindsay, I need to remove your pants and panties.  Do you think you can help me with that?”  Lindsay nodded as Adam turned around, intent on giving her privacy.  Quickly, in between contractions she did just that, and Sid draped her legs with some towels to give ensure her modesty.  “Adam, stand by her head and we’ll help nature along.”  He studied the young woman.  “You are almost fully dilated, so you’ll be pushing here in a few moments.”

 

Adam held Lindsay’s hand and concentrated on her face, not knowing what to say.

 

Soon, Sid was urging her to push and within moments, he held a tiny baby in his grasp.  Sid smiled as he carefully cleaned the child, seeing nothing wrong.  Confirming this, the baby let out an indignant wail at the cold temperature in the room, causing Lindsay to sigh in relief.  “Congratulations, it’s a boy,” he said simply as he wrapped the baby in a towel (after tying off and cutting the umbilical cord) and laid the baby in his waiting mother’s arms.

 

Adam stared in awe that the tiny baby, as tears of joy rolled down Lindsay’s cheeks.  “Wow…that’s just, wow,” he managed to get out.

 

Lindsay smiled as she lightly stroked the soft skin of the baby’s cheek.  “Welcome to the world, Ryan Phillip Flack,” she said softly.

 

\----------------------------------

 

After Stella hung up with Adam, Hawkes and she made their way into the house.  They entered the dining room and studied the carnage there with disbelief.  “Jesus,” Stella whispered.  “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

 

Hawkes nodded.  “Me neither.”  He bent to study the body closest to the door, a woman of unknown origin since the fire had burned her beyond recognition.  “Most of these we can only hope to identify with either dental records or DNA,” he stated sadly.

 

Stella bent down to study the body of another person, a man from what she could tell and noticed something unusual.  “Hawkes, what’s this around their necks?  It looks like some sort of melted plastic.”  She shined her flashlight on the melted plastic and studied it even further, before the realization of what it was came to her.  “Oh my God, this is a shock collar!” she exclaimed in revulsion.

 

Hawkes closed his eyes for a moment.  “That explains why they weren’t trying to escape.  Think about it.  The house is on fire, why don’t you try to escape?”

 

Stella looked at him.  “Because they knew escape was impossible.”  She shook her head.  “Something very wrong was going on here, Hawkes.”

 

“We need to find out more about these owners.  Have you gotten anything from Adam?”

 

Stella started to shake her head when her phone buzzed.  She looked down at the picture messaged and grinned.  “Well, not about owners, but I think you’ll be getting this message, too!”

 

Hawkes looked at her and then looked at his buzzing phone.  He pulled up the picture and smiled.  “Well, even during the darkest times, it’s nice to know that innocence and brightness exist,” he said staring at the picture of Lindsay with her new baby.


	25. Put Your Death Mask On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Wednesday 13.

Chapter 24.

 

** Put Your Death Mask On **

 

Upstairs, Mac and Danny had made a full circuit and were both standing in front of the final door in the hallway.  Mac nodded to Danny, who turned the door knob.  It was locked.  Danny fiddled with it for a couple of seconds, with no result before growling in frustration.

 

Mac put a reassuring hand on his arm before sighing.  “Why don’t you go downstairs and see if one of the locals has a battering ram.”

 

Danny nodded and quickly walked back to the stairs.  He had just reached the bottom when his phone beeped.  Quickly he glanced at the phone surprised to see that he had both a voicemail and a text message.  Quickly, he checked to see who the missed call was from and hit ignore when he realized that it was from Cory.  He opened the text message and smiled.  “Hot damn!  Montana had her baby!” he exclaimed before walking out the door.  His heart leapt with joy as he addressed the uniform nearest to the door.  “Do you have a battering ram?”

 

The man looked at him, before nodding slightly.  “I think we have one, would you like it?”

 

Danny nodded.  “Yes, and then please come upstairs when you get it.  We have a locked room that we can’t get into.”  He watched as the uniform hurried to get the tool and then made his way back upstairs.  He found Mac crouched by the door, looking to see if he could somehow force the lock.  “Hey Mac.  Lindsay had her baby!”

 

Mac looked up, shock on his face.  “But she’s not due for another three weeks.”

 

Danny shrugged.  “I don’t know, but I got a picture text from Adam showing her holding the baby.”  He pulled out his phone and then furrowed his brow.  “Weird.  I don’t have any service up here.  Do you?”

 

Mac pulled out his phone and shook his head.  “None.”

 

Danny was about to say more when the uniform showed up.  He nodded to the man to break down the door, and once he was done the uniform scuttled back downstairs.  “Why are they so freaked out?”

 

Mac looked thoughtful.  “They’ve never seen anything like this.  We’ve seen scenes that are just as bad, but to them this is a nightmare.”  Danny just shrugged as he made his way inside.

 

“This must be the master suite,” he called over his shoulder as he looked at the small room that contained a love seat and a couple of comfortable looking chairs.   He noticed a laptop—which was intact—sitting on a table.  “This is weird, Mac.  In all the other rooms, there was standing water on the floor from the sprinkler system, but this one looks like the sprinklers never came on.”

 

Mac nodded as he shined his flashlight around, seeing a connecting door.  He moved towards it and tested the doorknob, grateful when it opened easily.  He walked into the spacious room, taking note of the massive mahogany canopy bed in the center with the matching bedroom set gracing the walls.  He walked over to the bed and pulled the curtains, to find the bodies of two elderly people lying there.  “I think I found the owners,” he called over his shoulder.

 

Danny walked into the room, and glanced at Mac.  “Really?”

 

Mac nodded.  “I see multiple stab wounds on the man and it looks as if his wrists have been slit.”  He bent over to study the man’s wounds.  “Why don’t you check her out?” he suggested to Danny.

 

Danny walked around to the other side of the bed, and shined his flashlight on the grey-haired woman.  “I only see one stab wound on her, upper chest,” he reported before stopping short.  He had noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye.  “Shit!  Mac, she’s still alive!”

 

Mac’s head shot up at that moment before he quickly ran out of the room.  Danny bent over the woman, noticing that her chest was barely moving with her breaths.  Inhaling, he bent down and started to mutter to her encouragingly.  Within moments, Mac was back, with Hawkes and Stella hot on his heels.  Danny moved quickly out of the way so Hawkes could examine the woman.

 

“She’s barely alive,” the doctor reported.  “Looks like she’s lost a lot of blood and I don’t know how she managed to hang on so long.”  He looked around the room, noticing the lack of soot covering everything.  “Someone get me a towel,” he ordered.

 

Stella walked to a door that was slightly ajar and quickly grabbed a towel from beside the bathtub.  She handed it quickly to Hawkes who began to apply pressure to the wound.  “We need an ambulance,” she stated.  “I’ll go get the locals to get one.”

 

Mac nodded as she left the room before looking at Danny and Hawkes.  “We need to find out what happened in this house.  What did you find on the first floor?” he asked Hawkes.

 

Hawkes sighed.  “All of the people in the dining room had shock collars on.  Even if they wanted to escape, they could have possibly been killed by the repeated voltage.  One of the bodies had two broken legs, but it didn’t look like any of them actually tried to escape.”

 

Danny just closed his eyes.  “Why?  Why would they be wearing shock collars?”

 

Neither Mac nor Hawkes could answer that question; instead all three of them directed their attention to the woman barely clinging to life.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Adam had finally gotten his heart to stop pounding after Flack had shown up and ushered Lindsay and little Ryan to the hospital.  He sat back down at his computer and began the search for Mikhail and Nadezhda Pasternak.  He first did a New York driver’s license and identification card search and came up with pictures of the two elderly people.  He quickly sent those pictures to the four people at the scene, hoping that it would help them.

 

Then he began to search all the different databases, coming up with something extraordinary. Before 1988, there were no records of the couple, not even from immigration.  Puzzled, he did a world wide name search and still nothing appeared.  _This is very strange,_ he thought to himself.  _There has to be some record of them coming to America._

 

Puzzled, he chewed on his lip for while, trying to piece together a scenario in his head.  Finally, he had the stroke of inspiration to do a reverse aging process on them to make them look twenty years younger and ran the photos through the vast immigration database.  He knew that the likelihood of actually matching them to identities was slim, but he wanted to make sure that he covered all the angles.

 

As the facial recognition software was running, he rolled over to a different computer and began to pull all of the financial records for the Pasternak’s.  Once that was done, he emailed them down to the forensic accounting department, with an email stating that it was urgent for him to know if anything was off about them.  Glancing at the clock, he grimaced, knowing that no one from that department would be in at one a.m. in the morning.  Sighing, he decided to rest his eyes for a bit, to recharge his energy.   Within moments, he was asleep at the computer.

 

\----------------------------------

 

After the woman had been taken to the hospital, Mac and Danny resumed searching the rather unscathed master bedroom suite.  Danny was studying the bookcases on the wall next to the bed, thinking that perhaps there was a safe behind one of them and was fascinated by the sheer number of books with Russian lettering on them.  “Mac?  I think that our victims may have been from Russia?”

 

Mac raised an eyebrow.  “Their names give you that?”

 

Danny laughed a little.  “Nope, the sheer number of books that are printed in Russian did.”  As he said this, he skimmed his finger along some of the titles before trying to move one.  It didn’t budge an inch.  Curiously, he set his kit on the bed and began to try to move more books, until he heard a click.  “Boom!”

 

Mac looked up from the blood pool beside the bed.  “What?”

 

Danny just smirked.  “I feel like I’m in the _Clue_ house.  I just found a secret doorway,” he said triumphantly.

 

Curious, Mac got to his feet and walked around the bed to join Danny, who was swinging the bookcase towards them, revealing a brightly lit set of steps.  “Why is there electricity in here?  I thought the power was out to the whole house?” Danny asked in confusion.

 

Mac shrugged.  “Maybe it’s on a separate power line or even a generator,” he reasoned.

 

Danny cocked his bed, thinking about that.  “Could be,” he said as he began to walk up the steps.  Mac followed right behind them and within moments, they were standing in front of an imposing steel door.  “God, I hope that this isn’t locked.  I don’t think a battering ram could open it,” he quipped, his mind racing at what they could possible find inside.  His mind conjured images of priceless works of art, gold, jewelry.  In fact, for one brief second he had an image of Scrooge McDuck diving into his swimming pool of gold coins and had to smother a rather unprofessional laugh at the thought.

 

Taking a deep breath, he grasped the door handle and began to pull the door open, to allow him and Mac to see inside.  Whatever his mind had conjured up, nothing could prepare him for what lay inside.  He dropped his kit and it landed with a metallic thud as he fought down the rising bile in his throat.  Unable to articulate anything, he turned his eyes and stared at Mac, whose face had turned ashen at the sight.  Finally, Danny found his voice.  “Jesus, Mac,” he whispered.  “What the _hell_ were these people doing?”

 

Mac surveyed the sight as dispassionately as possible, but was also fighting down nausea, for what he saw was beyond his comprehension.  In the room—which was probably intended to be an attic that ran the length and width of the house—lay a multitude of mutilated and desecrated bodies.  There were five operating tables, each with the mangled remains of a human body lying on it and chained to the wall were more bodies.

 

The bodies chained to the wall presented a sight that he could not imagine.  The woman closest to him had her stomach cut open and what clearly had to be her intestines wrapped around her waist like a belt, it was even tied into a bow.  On the other side of the door, the body of a woman lay, her legs and arms at odd angles to her body, angles that Mac knew could not be natural.  Feeling Danny brush past him, he grabbed their cases and quickly followed the younger man downstairs and outside to the SUV, only to find him throwing up in the grass.

 

He looked at Danny, sheer willpower keeping him from doing the same thing.  “I think we’d better go find Stella and Hawkes to let them know what we found,” he said quietly.

 

Danny just nodded too nauseated to respond with words.

 


	26. Never Too Late

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Shinedown.

Chapter 25.

 

** Never Too Late **

 

By the time that Lindsay and Flack arrived at the hospital, her euphoria had disappeared and her body was aching.  She watched tiredly as the doctor’s carefully checked over Ryan, with Flack hovering protectively over them. 

 

Finally the doctor smiled.  “Well, we’ve weighed him and he comes in at a good five pounds, ten ounces.  Is he really three weeks early?”  At Lindsay’s nod, he continued, “Well, he is in good health and it just looks like he was ready to meet the world.  We’ll keep both of you here for a couple of days, to make sure that there weren’t any complications, but barring that, I’d say you’ll be home by the weekend.”

 

Lindsay smiled again as she smothered a yawn.  “Lord, I’m tired,” she muttered as she fought to keep her eyes open.

 

The doctor nodded.  “That’s to be expected.  Your body has been through a traumatic ordeal and you need your rest.  Were you planning on breast feeding?”

 

“Yeah, I think it’s best since he still get some immunity protection from my milk,” she answered as she watched Flack cradle the baby.  He was a natural.

 

“Good.  Then let’s get you settled in a room, so you can get a few hours sleep before he needs to feed.  The nurses will bring him in to you,” he said looked at Flack.  “That is if your husband lets him out of his arms.”

 

Flack flushed at his words, he had been so totally engrossed in staring at the most perfect little boy in the world that he had completely ignored the doctor and the nurse who was standing by with a bassinet.  Reluctantly, he placed his son in the plastic bed before returning his attention to the doctor, who was asking for Lindsay’s insurance information so he could check her in.  He looked at her and realized that she was not following the doctor’s words at all and withdrew his wallet.  Quickly, he extracted their insurance card and the doctor nodded gratefully before instructing the nurse to take her up to the maternity ward.  Flack followed, his heart bursting with pride at the unexpected turn of events.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Cory awoke around six a.m. London time and immediately checked her phone, her heart dropping when she realized that Danny had not returned her call.  She bit her lip, wanting to call him again, but her pride wouldn’t permit her to do that.  _Fine, if he’s going to ignore me, two can play that game,_ she thought.  She quickly jumped in the shower and got dressed.  She hoped that if she got to InterPol early enough, the Iron Maiden wouldn’t be the receptionist and she could actually get in to see Alistair.  She decided to keep an optimistic view and quickly was walking out of the hotel, hoping to grab a cup of coffee before she began her long wait.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Alistair was walking into InterPol at the same time as Cory was waking up.  His mind was heavy with thoughts about his reaction to Cory.  He was ashamed of himself for ignoring her, but breaking his silence would reduce his pride and that was one thing that he was not willing to do. 

 

When he found out that she had shown up basically on his doorstep, he had decided that he needed to refresh his mind on Etienne.  So he had locked himself in his office the previous day, with instructions that he was not to be bothered unless the world was coming to an end, and then only if he could do something to stop it. 

 

As he had reread the case file, he relived the mistakes that he had made fifteen years before with grim determination.  He had no idea what has caused Cory to fly to London, but he knew by her actions that it must have been important.

 

Sighing, he sat down at his desk, determined to do some more research before finally letting himself meet with her, for what he knew was going to be an uncomfortable conversation for him.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Stella and Hawkes made their way from the dining room to the kitchen, their minds still reeling over the discovery of the woman, so they were unprepared when they walked into the kitchen.  It looked as if it had born the brunt of the fire; the walls black with soot and water still in puddles on the floor.  But, that was not what surprised them.

 

What shocked them was the sight of a burned body, almost a skeleton, which had been chained to the island in the center of the room.  Stella looked at Hawkes, disgust showing in both of their eyes at the sight.  “Why would someone do this, Sheldon?”

 

Hawkes shook his head.  “I don’t know.  It’s like they were all slaves, trapped in this house and destined to die here.”  He looked around the room, not even able to focus on what he was seeing as his mind tried to come to terms with the worst that humanity had ever thrown at him. 

 

Stella nodded thoughtfully.  “You know, they said that this was arson, could it be that one of these people started the fire to end their pain?”  She chewed on her bottom lip slightly.  “I know that if I were chained in here, I’d do anything in my power to try to escape that pain, whether it is a physical or spiritual escape.”

 

Hawkes looked at her, obviously thinking hard about it.  “At this point, I think anything is possible.”  He sighed heavily.  “I don’t know about you, but I think I need some fresh air.  We also need to arrange for some sort of transportation to get these bodies to Sid.”

 

Stella nodded her agreement.  “I also need to check in to see what Adam has found out,” she said as she turned around to exit the house.  When she got to the door, she saw Danny practically running down the stairs, revulsion and queasiness evident on his face.  Mac was following after him, his normally tanned complexion, ashen in the moonlight.  She felt her stomach drop in fear.  “Oh god, what did you find?” she asked, not really wanting to know the answer to her question.

 

Mac just shook his head, indicating that he didn’t want to talk about it yet, so they just followed him to the parked crime lab SUV’s.  Stella watched in shock as Danny proceeded to throw up, his nausea overwhelming.  When he finally had emptied his stomach, he laid his head upon his knees in an obvious attempt get himself back under control.

 

Mac leaned against the car.  “What did you find?” he asked the pair.

 

Stella told him as quickly and precisely what they had discovered, but she was confused when Mac didn’t seem fazed.  “Mac?  This doesn’t surprise you?” she asked in bewilderment.

 

“Not in the least after what Danny and I discovered.  It could only be described as a torture chamber and actually, if you’re up to it Hawkes, I’d like to get your medical take on it.”  He looked at the doctor gravely.  “I will warn you; it is truly gruesome. Take your worst nightmare and multiply by a million and that’s what we found up there.”

 

Hawkes looked at him in surprise.  “Really?”

 

Danny groaned from the ground.  “Trust me, it’s going to haunt me until the day I die,” he muttered into his knees, not looking up.

 

Hawkes sighed.  “All right, but I don’t know what I’ll be able to do?”

 

“Any insight you can possibly give, will be much appreciated,” Mac reassured him before turning to Stella.  “We need to arrange for transportation to the morgue, but I think that the fewer people that see these bodies, the better.  From the quick glance that I took upstairs, we’re looking at around fifteen to twenty bodies there.”

 

“Plus the twenty to twenty-five downstairs, we pretty much need something the size of a semi.”  She pursed her lips.  “All right.  I’ll work on that and see what Adam has dug up for us now.  You two go examine the room that you found and if God is with us, we can leave this place by afternoon.”

 

Hawkes just nodded as him and Mac began to walk back towards the house of horrors.

 

\----------------------------------

 

When Adam awoke from his nap, he found an email waiting for him from Stella.  It contained two sets of fingerprints that she wanted him to run.  Glancing at the computer running the facial recognition, he saw that it was still running (six hours later) and sighed.  He quickly scanned the fingerprints into the system and began to search for them.

 

Within moments, he had hits on both sets of prints, but when he tried to access the records, he found that his security clearance wasn’t high enough.  Shaking his head, he called Mac.

 

 _“Taylor,”_ Mac answered, his voice sounding grim.

 

“Hey Mac.  Those fingerprints that Stella had me run?  I don’t have the security clearance to access the records,” Adam informed him.

 

Mac’s eyebrows shot up.  _“Really.  Isn’t that interesting?”_   He paused for a moment before continuing, _“Okay.  Let me give you my code, but Adam?  You are to forget this once you type it in.”_

 

Adam nodded to himself.  “Whatever you say.  I didn’t hear anything, didn’t type in anything,” he reassured Mac.  Once Mac had given him the code, he entered it immediately and then looked at the screen in shock.  “Um, boss?  You don’t have high enough security clearance either.”

 

 _“What?!”_ Mac exclaimed.

 

“Seriously, it says access denied.”  Adam chewed on his lip.  “What about Cory?  Do you think that she might have the access?”

 

 _“At this point, I couldn’t tell you that, Adam.  But why don’t you try.  If not, we’ll find someone who does and clear up what happened here.”_   Mac sighed tiredly.  He hadn’t slept in close to twenty-four hours, but he knew that he was going to get a chance on the drive back, since he had made both Stella and Danny take naps in the cars so they could make the long drive back.  Both he and Hawkes were still too disturbed by the scene to be able rest.  In fact, when they had gone back up to what they were referring to as the torture chamber, they had studied the bodies of all the victims and the atrocities that had been committed sickened both of them.

 

“All right,” Adam returned.  “I’ll give her a call now.  She should be awake, I hope.”

 

 _“Let me know what you find,”_ Mac instructed before hanging up the phone and running a weary hand down his face.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Cory was surprised when around noon the Iron Maiden gave her the okay to go up to Alistair’s office.  She exhaled slowly as the rode the elevator upstairs, chanting a mantra in her head to stay calm.  The last thing that she needed was to unload all of her frustration and anger onto him; however much he deserved it.  She didn’t want to alienate him, since she knew that she needed his help to figure out exactly what Etienne was planning and why it was tied to her.

 

As she came to a stop outside of his office, she drew a deep breath before knocking.  When he called for her to come in, she did and stood in front of his desk.

 

“Corrine?  To what do I owe this pleasure,” Alistair spoke with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

 

Cory’s eyebrows rose at his statement and her temper snapped.  “Gee, I don’t know.  Maybe because you hung up on me?” she seethed.  “Why the hell did you withhold information about Etienne on me?”

 

Alistair looked at her.  “What did I withhold, Corinne?  I know nothing more about his whereabouts than you do,” he reasoned calmly, knowing that he was speaking the truth.  He had no idea where the man was.  If he did, he’d been in custody.

 

Cory stared at him, flabbergasted at his thinking.  “You didn’t think that I needed to know the name of the man who was responsible for almost killing my mother?” she shot back.  “The fact that he’s a rogue InterPol agent?  Really, you didn’t think that was important?”

 

Alistair looked at her.  “Important to you?  No, it wasn’t.  Etienne is my problem, not yours, Corrine.”

 

“Why the hell is he only your problem?  He’s responsible for the deaths of fifty _children_ and the Lord only knows what he is planning next!  Get off your high horse Alistair and give me the damn information I need to stop him,” Cory exploded.

 

“What makes you think that you can stop him?” he returned angrily as he rose from his chair.  “God knows that I’ve been trying to do that same thing for the last fifteen years and look how well that went.  He’s now one of the world’s most sought after assassins.  It’s my job to catch him and bring him to justice.”

 

Cory took a step back, recognizing the tone in his voice and understanding for a moment what Danny had been trying to tell her.  “You’ve gotten personally involved,” she stated, her anger washing away.  “Trust me Alistair, I understand, but you can’t let your anger towards him overcome your logic,” she reasoned.

 

“I’m not,” he returned waspishly. 

 

Cory just looked at him before settling in a chair.  “What did he do?” she asked lowly.

 

Alistair stared at her, seeing the understanding and compassion in her eyes.  He sighed as he sank into his chair tiredly.  He knew that he would have to admit his sins to her.  “To understand that, I’ll have to start at the beginning.”

 

Cory nodded.  “Okay, I get it.”

 

Alistair settled back, an uneasy look on his face.  “Twenty years ago, when the Iron Curtain began to fall, I was a fairly young agent.  Idealistic.  Actually, you remind me a lot of myself during that time,” he said thoughtfully.  “Anyway, when the Curtain actually fell, I made the suggestion to try to recruit some of the former KGB agents.  So, I got with the field agents that were assigned to the Soviet Union to see if any of the agents that they were observing fit the profile we were looking for.  One of them, Andrew Middleton suggested that we interview an agent by the name of Boleslav Kladivo.”

 

Cory sucked in a breath, recognizing the birth name of Etienne from the dossier that her unknown informant had given her.  “Also known as Etienne Martel,” she said baldly.

 

“You are correct, although I knew next to nothing of him at the moment.  I was careful, though.  I had Andrew get me a complete background on him.  Within a month, I knew everything about him.  From how he grew up in Prague and experienced the Soviet invasion of the Czech Republic in ’68 when he was seven to the Soviet orphanage that he was placed in after his parents were killed a few years later.  I thought I had my man.  An in into the KGB, someone that could give me the knowledge that we needed to prevent any harm from coming to us when everyone was scrambling to survive after the fall.”

 

Cory leaned forward, drawn into the story.  “So, what happened?”

 

“After three months of an intensive background investigation, I gave Andrew the okay to approach him.  After several meets, Andrew brought him to London, for a formal meeting with me.  I went over the background and when he was here, he was subjected to several psychological exams.  Everything came back perfect, so I made a formal offer.”  Alistair leaned back, closing his eyes briefly.

 

Cory bit her lip, sensing that the next part of the story was going to be crucial to understanding what had caused the man to become a thorn in Alistair’s side.  She stayed silent, letting Alistair take his time.

 

“A couple of years later, we sent him and three agents back to a hotspot in Russia, where the Russian Mob was becoming a project.  They were to infiltrate the Mob in hopes of bringing down a weapons smuggling ring.  Three months later, the situation exploded.  Literally.  A bomb ripped through the safe house that the agents were staying.  Two were killed instantly, the third made it to the hospital.  He survived long enough to tell the handler that Boleslav was the one who caused it.”

 

“Do you know what he did?” Cory probed.

 

“No, only that he went rogue.  Sided with the Mob and sold out his partners.”  He looked at Cory, emotion cracking his normal cool exterior.  “The three agents that died, they were good people.  Good friends and I had to break the news to their families.  I swore on each of their graves that I would catch him.”

 

Cory nodded as she leaned back.  “Look, I get it.  I reacted the same way after James was murdered, but by withholding that kind of knowledge from me, it’s made my job harder.  He is gunning for me for some unknown reason.  The only thing I know is that from what my mom told me, he believes that I am the key to bringing down America.  As much as I understand your situation, you can’t do this alone.  I think that if we work together, then we can bring him down.  You with me?”

 

Alistair stared at her, realizing the truth of her words, but just as he was about to respond, her cell phone rang.

 

Cory jumped, her hopes rising as she pulled out the phone with an apologetic look.  “Sorry, give me a moment,” she said as she flipped answered the phone.  “Reid.”

 

 _“Hi Cory.  It’s Adam.  Did I wake you?”_ Adam’s cheerful voice asked her.

 

Cory looked at her phone in confusion until she remembered the five hour time difference between London and New York.  “Um, Adam, I’m in London.”

 

_“What?  No one told me.   So I guess I can’t get you to see if the FBI can ID these fingerprints.”_

 

Cory smiled.  “It was a spur of the moment trip, Adam.  Why can’t you ID the fingerprints?”

 

Adam sighed.  _“I don’t have high enough security clearance.  Neither does Mac,”_ the young man admitted.

 

Cory’s eyebrows shot up as she took in what he had told her.  “Well, that is interesting.  Tell you what, email me the prints and I’ll see what I can do for you.  Deal?”

 

_“Deal.  I’ll email you some basic details of the case as well.  It’s been a frustrating time.  Thanks, Cory.”_

 

“You’re welcome, Adam.  I’ll get back to you as soon as I find something out,” she promised as she looked at Alistair and hung up her phone.  “You up for solving a mystery?  A set of fingerprints that are so top secret that the head of the New York crime lab doesn’t have the security clearance to view.”

 

Alistair smiled.  “Sounds intriguing,” he said before moving the topic back to their previous conversation.  “You are right.  I think it’s going to take both of use to catch Boleslav, so I will stop withholding information.  Together, we’ll catch him.”


	27. Second Chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Shinedown.

 

Chapter 26.

 

** Second Chance **

 

When the team got back from the Hamptons, they were subdued.  The scope of the monstrosities that had taken place in the seemingly normal house had shaken each of them down to the core.  When the weary CSI’s finally logged in all of their evidence, Mac looked at each person.  “I know this is disturbing, but we need to find out what exactly happened in that house.”  He turned to Stella and Hawkes.  “Stel?  I want you to start going over the trace.  Get Kendall to help you.”  Stella nodded as she turned to leave.  “Hawkes, help Sid in autopsy.  I want to find out everything about the victims.”

 

Hawkes nodded as he turned to leave, running a weary hand down his face.  “I’ve already talked to Sid.  Depending on what staff we have left, I’ll be performing some of the autopsies and he’ll call in additional staff as needed.   God, it’s like the Towers all over again,” he mused aloud as he walked out of the room.

 

Mac turned to Danny after they left.  “We’re going to go pay Mrs. Pasternak a visit in the hospital.  Maybe she can shed some light on what was going on in that house.”

 

“Ok, boss,” Danny replied as looked down at the vibrating phone in his hand before hitting the reject button.  “Do you want to see if Adam has come up with anything before we leave?”

 

Mac looked at Danny before responding, sensing that something else was troubling the young man.  “Yeah.  Everything all right?”

 

Danny forced a smile on his face.  “It’s nothing,” he replied, skating around the issue.

 

Mac decided to let it go with a simple statement.  “My door’s always open if you want to talk,” he reassured him.

 

“Thanks, Mac,” Danny replied as they both turned to make their way to AV.  When they got there, they found Adam staring at the two ruined computers from the scene.

 

Mac looked at the tech, his shrewd gaze taking in the fact that he was wearing the same clothes as he had when they had left the previous day.  “Adam?  Did you go home last night?” he queried in concern.

 

Adam looked up, grinning sheepishly.  “Um…no.”  He saw the look on Mac’s face and held up his hands.  “I promise I slept,” he tried to reassure his boss.

 

Mac inclined his head slightly.  “What did you find out about the owners of the house?”

 

Adam frowned slightly.  “Nothing.  It’s like they didn’t exist before 1989.  I swear boss, it’s like trying to track down a ghost.  I went through income tax records, which by the way, they filed like clockwork every February 1st.  But of one thing I’m certain; Mikhail and Nadezhda Pasternak did not exist before 1989.”

 

Mac nodded.  “Did you get in touch with Cory about the fingerprints?” he asked, seeing Danny tense at the sound of his fiancée’s name. 

 

Adam looked at Danny.  “Um, she wasn’t in her office,” he finally offered, wondering if Danny was going to explain where she was.  When Danny didn’t do anything other than cross his arms, he continued, “She’s in London.  She said she was in a meeting with InterPol and would see what she could find out.”

 

Mac glanced at Danny, guessing what was troubling his CSI.  “Anything else we can do?”

 

Adam shrugged.  “I ran a reverse aging process on the pictures that I got from the driver’s licenses of them and am running those pictures through the immigration database, but no luck so far.  Unfortunately, the records that far back are not as intact as those before the use of computers, but if they are in there, I’ll find them,” he said with a little force.  He didn’t like that he couldn’t figure out the problem.

 

Mac smiled at him.  “Good job so far, Adam.  Call me if you get anything useful off the computers.”

 

Adam blushed at Mac’s praise and looked at the ruined PC’s.  “Sure thing, boss,” he said as he looked back up, only to see Mac and Danny halfway down the hall.  “Sure, work miracles on computers that have been doused in water.  My specialty.  Not a problem,” he muttered to the empty room.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Taylor was enjoying a quiet evening at home with Marty.  He had a rare night off and they were having fun.  They had rented a bunch of horror movies, and after a dinner of pizza, Marty had popped some popcorn and they had settled down to watch the films.  They were into the second one, a classic horror film called _Audrey Rose_ , when the temperature in the room dropped dramatically.

 

Taylor looked at Marty, knowing that the break that she seemed to be having from TPTB was over.  Marty shrugged as they both turned to look over their shoulders, behind the couch.

 

“Oh, my God,” Taylor breathed as both of her hands flew to her mouth before jumping up from the couch and running to the bathroom.  Marty glanced at the mutilated and desecrated bodies that stood before him, his own nausea rising, before rising to his feet and following Taylor to the bathroom.  When he entered the room, he softly squatted next to her, silently holding her hair back.

 

When she was done, she looked at him, tears welling up in her eyes.  “I….I…” she started, but couldn’t find the words.

 

Marty understood.  “I don’t know, Tay,” he started before his phone rang.  Glancing down and seeing that it was Sid, he decided to answer.  “Pino?”  He listened to his boss for a minute, before glancing down at the shaking woman in his arms.  “Okay.  I’ll be there around nine.”

 

Taylor looked at him in confusion, for if it was truly an emergency, he would be going into the morgue immediately.  She resolutely closed her eyes as whispers from the ghosts began to penetrate the fog she felt like she was wrapped in.  “We just wanted a second chance,” they were saying.

 

She felt Marty hang up his phone, before wrapping both of his arms around her again.  “It’s a pretty bad scene in the Hamptons, Tay.  I don’t know much more, but keep your eyes closed and let’s get you into bed.  Maybe Maddy and Aiden can make the ghosts disappear for a while.”

 

Taylor just nodded, knowing that if she looked at them, she would spend the entire night in the bathroom and felt Marty lift her up, to tuck her into bed.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Mac and Danny walked into the hospital, intent on finding answers from the severely injured woman.  Due to the high blood loss, she had been flown to New York City when the local hospital in the Hamptons had determined that they didn’t have the ability to treat her injuries.

 

When they finally found the doctor that was working on her case, the doctor didn’t look very optimistic.  “Detectives,” he opened up with.  “Mrs. Pasternak is in serious, but stable condition.  She lost about thirty to forty percent of her blood supply, so there is more than likely chance that there is going to be injury to her internal organs.”

 

Mac nodded.  “What is the extent of her injuries?” he asked the man.

 

The doctor picked up her chart and reviewed it.  “She has a multitude of defensive wounds to her hands and arms as well as a pretty severe concussion.  There is a small scull fracture on the back of her head, where she likely hit it against something pointed.  She suffered three stab wounds to the upper chest; one of them nicked an artery that caused slow bleeding, which is why she didn’t die immediately.  It was lucky for her that you found her when you did.  She wouldn’t have lasted another two hours without dying from exsanguination.”

 

The men nodded.  “Is she conscious?” Danny asked.

 

“She has been drifting in and out of consciousness, but I’m not sure if she is up for any questions,” the doctor informed them.

 

“We have to try, Doctor,” Mac responded.  “We have to figure out was going on in that house.”

 

The doctor nodded reluctantly.  “I’ll show you up to ICU,” he conceded. 

 

When they arrived in ICU, Danny and Mac took in the multitude of machines hooked up to the woman’s body.  Mac walked over to her and looked down at her.  “Mrs. Pasternak?” he queried softly. 

 

The woman opened her eyes.  “Yes,” she whispered.

 

“I’m Detective Taylor, from the New York City Crime Lab.  Do you know where you are?” Mac continued.

 

“Hospital,” she responded in the same whisper.

 

“Do you know why you are in the hospital?” Mac asked.

 

She nodded slightly.  “My husband went crazy,” she told them.  “He was trying to kill all of us.”

 

“Why?” Danny asked as he moved forward to the bed.

 

She closed her eyes and just when Danny and Mac thought she had lost consciousness again, she opened them.  “I found a lab in the attic.  He was doing horrible things to the homeless people that I had invited into our home.  I didn’t know they were there.  He always told me that he had arranged for jobs for them.”

 

Danny and Mac looked at each other.

 

“When I confronted him, he went mad.  He pushed me and I hit my head on the staircase.  When I awoke, I could smell smoke and Mikhail was above me with a knife.  The look in his eyes was wild and then he stabbed me.  What happened to all my friends?”

 

Mac shook his head and broke the bad news to her.  “I’m sorry; you are the only one who survived.”

 

She bit her lip as she closed her eyes, tears leaking out of them.  “I’d like to be alone, please.”

 

The two men left her alone, their minds going over what she had told him and the picture that the information created was not a pretty one.  “Well, I guess we know what happened,” Danny surmised. 

 

Mac looked at him.  “I don’t know, Danny.  It all seems to fit together too well.  I have a feeling that she didn’t tell us everything.  Something happened to cause the man to snap.  What was it?”

 

\----------------------------------

 

Across the ocean, Cory and Alistair were working diligently on identifying the fingerprints.  Cory pulled up the FBI fingerprint database and then using the email that Adam had sent her, entered the fingerprints into the system.  It took moments for the search to be completed and to her surprise she noticed that the results had been flagged by InterPol.  “Hey, Alistair?  I got the results back from the fingerprints.  They belong to Ludwig Esser and Polina Zolnerowich.  They’ve been flagged by InterPol, but it doesn’t tell me why.”

 

Alistair furrowed his brow and he typed the names into his database.  Quickly he began to relay the information that was coming up.  “All right.  We’ll start with Ludwig Esser.  Father is Heinrich Esser, mother is Zoya Kaminski.  Father was a Nazi war criminal that specialized in torture under the Third Reich.  He was born in Russia after his father escaped there at the end of World War II.   Heinrich Esser was recruited in to the KGB, which is why we flagged him.  He was responsible for the capture and torture of many of our undercover operatives.”

 

Cory leaned back into her chair and took in that information.  “Okay, so did Ludwig follow in his father’s footsteps?” she queried.

 

Alistair scanned the rest of the information.  “Yes and no,” he informed her.  “His father was a doctor before he began his torturing career, so in that instance, Ludwig did follow in his footsteps.  But, from what we were able to determine, he never entered the KGB, he was working in the poorer parts of Moscow, helping people who would never get help.”

 

“So why was he flagged?”

 

Alistair sighed.  “He was suspected in the murder of his father.  Late in 1988, Heinrich Esser was found murdered in his lab, and his lab assistant, Polina Zolnerowich and his son disappeared.  After probing into the murder, the KGB discovered that Heinrich has a series of accounts in Swiss banks that held millions of dollars.  Accounts that had been cleared out almost immediately following his death.”

 

Cory’s eyebrows rose.  “So Ludwig and Polina cleared out the accounts and vanished,” she suggested.  Alistair nodded, confirming her supposition.  “What kind of information do you have on Polina?”

 

“Not nearly enough.  Here’s what we do know.  She was an apprentice to Heinrich.   When her medical records became available after the fall of the Iron Curtain, we found out that she had been diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder.”  He looked at Cory’s puzzled face.  “It’s a disorder in which the person who has it a disregard for the rights of others.”

 

“Ah,” Cory said with a shake of her head.  “Makes perfect sense to employ someone with that disorder as a torturer.  If you have a disregard for the rights of others, it wouldn’t bother you when doing unspeakable things to them.”

 

Alistair shook his head.  “There you have it.”

 

Sighing, Cory looked at him.  “Mind if we can set up a conference with the lab?  I think that this information will be useful to them.”

 

Alistair nodded.  “Of course.  Let me show you to the conference room.  You can set up a video conference if you wish.”

 

 


	28. Sad, Sad Situation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Bowling for Soup (Lord, I love them!).

 

Chapter 27.

 

** Sad, Sad Situation **

 

Back at the lab, Stella and Kendall were working on the scant trace that hadn’t been destroyed by the fire.  Stella was studying the clothes that Mac found in the upstairs bedroom and so far was having little success.

 

Kendall was inspecting the shock collars that they had retrieved off of the bodies in the dining room.  She took one of them apart, to study the mechanism that delivered the shock.  “This is interesting,” she mused, causing Stella’s head to come up.

 

“What is?”

 

Kendall looked up.  “The collar.  This is a model that is commonly sold on the market for large dogs, but modifications have been made to it.”

 

Stella looked intrigued.  “What kind of modifications?”

 

Kendall smirked.  “Well, the amount of joules that this baby produces would kill a dog.  It’s been modified to produce a higher voltage that would be more effective in humans.”

 

Stella shuddered.  “That is just…” she trailed off, not sure what the correct word for what she was feeling was.

 

“Insane, maniacal, evil?” Kendall suggested.

 

“All of that and more,” Stella agreed.  She bent back over the clothes and flipped up the collar of the shirt that she was studying.  “Bingo.  I found a hair,” Stella said as she picked the hair up with tweezers.  “I’m going to get this to the DNA lab.  See if we can put a name to this.”

 

Kendall nodded as she bent back over the collars, hoping to find anything out about how the modifications were made.

 

\----------------------------------

 

When Marty walked into the morgue, the number of black body bags in the room surprised him.  “Wow, this is….” he trailed off as he looked around the filled room.

 

Sid and Hawkes looked up.  “Marty, I’m glad to see you,” the chief medical examiner said.  “We’ve got thirty eight bodies here.  Both male and female, all ethnicities.”

 

Hawkes looked up from his autopsy table, which housed one of the burned bodies from the dining room.  “We are starting with the victims from the downstairs of the house.  There are twenty-one people from there.  We need to determine the actual cause of death.”

 

Marty shook his head as he donned his scrubs and apron.  He pulled one of the bodies over to an autopsy area.  As he unzipped the bag, the only thought going through his head was that he wanted to solve this case as quickly as possible, since he didn’t know if Taylor could handle seeing the ghosts for very long.

 

With that in mind, he began the external exam of the body, which he came to realize was going to be fairly useless.  The body itself was burned beyond recognition, even the hair had been burned away.  Dutifully he still studied it, to see if he could find any wounds.  After ten minutes, he hadn’t found anything, so he moved to make the Y-incision.

 

As he carefully peeled back the burned skin, he noticed some damage to the internal organs.  The liver showed signs of bruising, as if the woman on the table had been beaten repeatedly.  He continued to study the organs; the signs of repeated abuse stunned him.  What two things that struck him most of all, was that none of the trauma that the woman has sustained were life threatening and there was no evidence of smoke inhalation, which meant that she was dead before the fire started.

 

Puzzled, both by the signs of trauma and the fact that the ghost was not visiting him to tell him how she had died, he continued the autopsy, readying the cranial saw to study the brain. He had weighed the organ, noting that it was average size.  As he studied the brain, he noticed that there was nothing wrong with it.

 

Perplexed he walked over to where Hawkes and Sid were discussing their findings.  “Hey,” he said as he walked up.

 

Sid looked at him.  “What did you find?”

 

Marty shook his head.  “Signs of long time physical abuse, none of it life threatening, though.  I’m guessing that we are going to have to wait for the tox screens to find out the C.O.D.”

 

Hawkes nodded his agreement.  “The only other thing that could be the C.O.D. is possibly heart failure, but that seems unlikely with this many people.”  Hawkes sighed, the long two days catching up with him.

 

Both Sid and Marty looked at him, before Sid began to steer him towards the exit.  “Sheldon, you need to rest.  Go, there are plenty of bodies here.  Marty and I can work on it for however long it takes for you to recharge.”

 

Hawkes nodded his acceptance as he began to remove the blood stained scrubs.  He chucked them into bin.  He got into the elevator and made his way up to the trace labs, to see how much progress Stella, Kendall and Adam had made.

 

He stopped in with Stella first.  “Hey, Stella.”

 

Stella looked up at him and smiled.  “You looked exhausted,” she observed.

 

Hawkes nodded, knowing that his exhaustion was not only from the rough couple of days, but also from the sleepless nights he’d had since Lydia had broken up with him.  “It’s been rough.”

 

“What’d you find on the bodies?” she queried.

 

“A puzzle,” he answered dryly.  “There was no obvious cause of death.  All of the bodies looked to have been abused, but none of those injuries was life threatening.”  He was about to continue when he saw Danny and Mac walking towards them.  “Hey, Mac,” he greeted them as they walked into the room.  “Were you able to get a statement?”

 

Mac nodded.  “Mrs. Pasternak said that she discovered her husband conducting experiments on the people that she had brought to live with them.  He then assaulted her and when she woke up, he was dead and the house was on fire.”

 

He looked at Hawkes, who responded.  “Nothing conclusive from the autopsies so far.  We’ve only gotten through the bodies from the dining room.  I can tell you this much.  All of them were dead before the fire started.  None of them suffered from smoke inhalation.”

 

“Interesting,” Mac mused.  “Anything else?”

 

Kendall’s head lifted.  “All of the shock collars that they were wearing were modified from existing collars for large dogs.  Whoever did the modifications, knew what they were doing.  They upped the voltage to something that started off as uncomfortable for humans and if I’m not mistaken, unlike most dog collars, this doesn’t provide an intermittent shock, it’s continuous.”

 

“Has Adam made any progress with the computers?” Danny asked as he looked down at his vibrating phone.  It was Cory again and for the third time that day, he hit the reject button.  He just wasn’t ready to talk to her yet.

 

Mac’s phone rang.  “Taylor?”

 

_“Hey, Mac.  It’s Cory.  Listen, I’ve got some information for you on those fingerprints and since Danny isn’t answering his phone, I wanted to see if y’all were at the lab, so we can do a video conference.”_

 

Mac glanced at Danny before answering her.  “Sure, Cory.  I’ll get everyone in the AV lab, so we can do the conference.  Give me ten minutes.”  When he hung up, he glanced at Danny, wondering exactly what was going on with the engaged couple.  “Cory found some information on the Pasternak’s fingerprints.  She wants to do a video conference with us.  So we can see what Adam has and maybe a clear picture of what exactly happened in that house.”

 

The team nodded, Danny a little sheepishly, as they turned to make their way into the lab.  They found Adam working feverously, trying to extract information off of the computers. 

 

“Hey boss, I don’t have much yet.  On the first computer, I think that the water damage is too great to get any information off of it, but I have hopes for the second one.”

 

Mac smiled at him.  “Any luck on with ICE?”

 

“Program is still running.  I’ve expanded the search from people who not only arrived from Europe to those arriving from across the globe.  However, that is a lot more pictures, so it’s going to take time.”

 

“Okay.  Cory wants to do a video conference from London; can you set that up for us?”

 

“Done and done.  She just called me to let me know,” Adam responded with a grin as he tapped a couple of keys on the keyboard.  In seconds Cory’s picture popped up on the large video screen in the back of the lab.

 

Danny stepped into the background as he looked at her, noticing the dark smudges under her eyes.  His heart constricted since he knew by looking at her, she hadn’t been sleeping, but he refused to let that sway him.  He was going to stand by what he had told her, because he knew that he was right.

 

Cory looked at the group gathered, her face carefully blank as she saw Danny staying in the background.  Determined to put their fight out of her mind since she didn’t want it affecting either of their jobs, she focused on Mac.  “Hey, Mac,” she said as she tapped some keys on her keyboard.  “I’m sending you a hard copy of what Alistair and I discovered, but I can give you the Cliff’s Notes version if you want.”

 

Mac nodded, his astute eyes not missing the fact that she was looking everywhere but Danny, and he made a mental note to see if he could get Danny to talk about whatever was bothering him.  “Yeah, go ahead.”

 

Cory nodded her head.  “The fingerprints belong to a Dr. Ludwig Esser and Polina Zolnerowich.  Esser’s father was a Nazi war criminal.  He was a master torturer who escaped to the USSR right before the war ended.  From what Alistair and I have uncovered, in a marathon all night session, is that Heinrich Esser, Ludwig’s father, stole millions of dollars from the Nazi’s.  He opened numerous accounts in Switzerland and over the years, by living frugally and investing correctly he amassed a fortune of close to a billion U.S. dollars.”

 

Stella gasped.  “Wow, so our guy inherited the money from his father?” she ventured.

 

Cory shook her head.  “Well, in a way, yes.  Heinrich Esser was brutally murdered in the winter of 1988.  He looked to have been tortured extensively before his death.  From the KGB reports that we gathered, I would not disagree with that.”

 

Mac tapped his mouth carefully, going over the case in his head.  “So, Mikhail Pasternak, a.k.a. Ludwig Esser, tortured and killed his father and then escaped to the United States?”

 

“Actually, no,” Alistair piped up from the background.  “All of the background that I gathered on Ludwig Esser indicated that he did not follow in his father’s footsteps.  He opened up a state of the art clinic in one of the poorer districts of Moscow and traveled to remote areas of the country to offer free healthcare.”

 

Cory cocked her head as she looked at their confused faced.  “Okay, what are y’all thinking?” she drawled.

 

Mac cleared his throat.  “Danny and I just got back from taking Mrs. Pasternak’s statement.  She claimed that her husband had been torturing people in that house, doing medical experiments.”

 

Cory shook her head.  “Not possible.  If anything, it was her that was doing the experimenting.  Polina was Heinrich’s assistant, really his protégé.  She was diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder at a young age, and the wonderfulness of the KGB was that they searched for people like that.  She went to medical school,”

 

“And let me guess, her degree was in torture,” Danny finally interjected, moving forward.

 

Cory glanced at him and nodded her head.  “Yes.  From the few documents that survived the fall of the Iron Curtain contain, the KGB believed that she was the one that murdered Heinrich.”

 

Stella bit her lip.  “So, why would Mikhail, I mean Ludwig move in with someone who killed his father?”

 

“That, Detective Bonasera, is the mystery.  We can only surmise that she told him that he was in danger.  Chances are he never knew what actually transpired.  We were able to track them to Switzerland, where they withdrew all of the money from Esser’s accounts.  Until Mr. Ross emailed us the driver’s license photos of them, we weren’t able to pick the trail back up,” Alistair told them.

 

Cory smiled.  “And that’s where it pays to have a forensic accountant as a friend.  It’s just like riding a bike,” she laughed.  “I’d forgotten how much fun it was to trace funds around.  But, working backwards from the account numbers that I found, I discovered that the money made one heck of a journey before it ended up in the States.”

 

“How so, Cory?” Mac inquired.

 

“Well, basically when I broke it down, the money made about three trips around the globe before it landed in the accounts of the Pasternak’s.  I think I was able to determine their port of origin when coming into the country,” she revealed as she transferred her gaze to Adam.  “Adam, if you will, narrow your search results for matching ICE photos coming from New Zealand in 1988.  I believe that you will find the Pasternak’s there.”

 

Adam nodded as he narrowed the search result and within moments, they had a match.  “Here we go,” he said excitedly as the computer beeped.  “The names attached to the photos are Penelope and Joseph Opperheim, from New Zealand.  It is also from December of 1988, instead of October of 1989, when the records of the Pasternak’s begin.”

 

Cory shot a triumphant smile over her shoulder to Alistair.  “See Alistair, I told you they were the best.”

 

“Corinne, you did a lot of work on this as well.  It was a joint effort,” Alistair conceded.

 

Cory laughed.  “Anyway, Adam we need to find out who checked them in to immigration.  Even at that point, Polina’s fingerprints were flagged in InterPol’s system and their system did not register any hits.  We need to make sure that there aren’t other wanted people in this country that we don’t know about.”

 

Mac’s eyebrow lifted.  “Cory, you know there are.”

 

Cory sighed.  “I know.  But, but it still pisses me off that there are compromised agents in immigration.”  She yawned.  “Anyway, that is all that I have.  I’ll be in London a few more days, but you can always get me on my cell.  Now, if Alistair will be so kind to arrange me some transportation back to my hotel, it’s five a.m. here and I’ve been up for twenty-four hours.  I’m going to crash.  Night, y’all.”

 

As the lab said their good-bye’s to Cory as the conference was disconnected, Danny was abnormally silent.  Mac turned to the group.  “We need to take Cory’s lead.  Everyone, log in and secure your evidence and then go home.  I don’t want to see anyone back here until eight a.m. tomorrow.”

 

Stella, Hawkes and Adam readily agreed, but Mac put his hand on Danny’s arm to prevent him.  “You want to talk about it now?” he asked the younger man quietly.

 

Danny nodded and followed Mac into his office.  As Mac settled behind his desk, Danny slumped in a chair, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees.  “I didn’t know Cory was in London until she’d been there half a day.  She just flew there after Alistair hung up on her.  When I found out, we fought and I’ve been ignoring her calls since then.”

 

“I see,” Mac said calmly.  “Why did you fight?”

 

“She’s being selfish.  I don’t mind that she went to London, but she should have told me she was leaving.  I feel like I’m losing her, Mac.  She’s been withdrawn and distant for months.  It’ll be okay for a few weeks, but then bang, it’s like she is so focused on her job that everything falls by the wayside.”

 

“Have you tried talking to her about it?” Mac asked him.

 

Danny sighed.  “I didn’t realize how much of a problem it was until I woke up and she was in London.”

 

“And you both snapped at each other,” Mac reasoned.  Danny nodded.  “Look, both of you are strong willed people and I think that when she gets back, you both need to talk it out.  Communication is the foundation of a successful relationship,” he advised.

 

Danny nodded as he rose to his feet as he thought about what Mac had said.  “Thanks, Mac.”

 

Mac smiled.  “Now, go home.  Get some sleep and let’s see if we can figure out this mystery tomorrow.”


	29. In for the Kill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to La Roux and much thanks to Axellia for the chapter title! I was drawing a blank.

 

Chapter 28.

 

** In for the Kill **

 

When Lindsay awoke the next morning, she was still a little sore, but very content.  Ryan had awoken a couple of times during the night to feed.  She felt the bond strengthening between them with every slight tug on her nipple as he suckled.  She stroked his dark hair softly, marveling at the perfection.  The first time he had opened his eyes, she was startled by the fact that his eyes were the exact shade of Don’s and wondered if they would stay that color or slowly change more into her chocolate colored eyes.

 

She had just settled him back into the plastic cot when there was a knock at her door.  She smiled widely as Mac and Stella poked their heads in.  “Hey,” she called softly.

 

Mac and Stella walked in with big smiles on their faces.  “Sorry we missed the show,” Stella said.

 

Lindsay just shrugged.  “I understand.  I’m just glad Sid was there.  He made me feel so much more at ease.”

 

Mac smiled as he set the flowers that he was holding on the table, while Stella made her way to the cot to gaze that the sleeping baby.  “Oh, wow.  He’s so small,” she muttered as her hand automatically moved to run it over his downy black hair.  “He looks like Don,” she observed.

 

Lindsay nodded.  “Yeah, and you have to admit that’s not a bad thing,” she said cheekily.

 

Stella laughed.  “What’s his name?”

 

“Ryan Phillip.”

 

Mac raised an eyebrow.  “Not Donald Flack, III?”

 

Lindsay shook her head.  “No, Don vetoed that immediately.  He said that he knows how hard it’s been for him to live up to his dad’s name and reputation and he didn’t want that for his son.”

 

Mac nodded.  “I think that was a good choice then.”  He looked at Stella briefly.  “As much as I hate to do this.  We really have to go.  We have some tough questions for a possible suspect in our case and she is in this hospital as well.”

 

Lindsay nodded.  “I understand.  Do you know if Danny and Cory are going to come up here?  Don and I want them to be the godparents.”

 

Mac pursed his lips a bit before answering.  “Danny might, but Cory’s actually in London right now.”  Lindsay’s eyes opened wide and Mac held up a hand to forestall her.  “It’s a long story.”

 

“Okay,” the new mother said.  “I’m sure a lot of people are going to be up here today.  Don’s parents are going to come up.  I’ll see you guys later,” she said as the two senior CSI’s turned to walk out of the door.

 

As Stella and Mac made their way to the ICU, Stella turned to question her boyfriend.  “All right.  What’s going on with Danny and Cory?”

 

Mac looked at her and temporized, “What makes you think something is going on?”

 

Stella just gave him a look.  “I have eyes, too.  Neither of them was willing to make eye contact during the conference yesterday.  Hence, something is going on.”

 

Mac sighed.  “Look, I was told in confidence and I’m not going to break that.”

 

Stella nodded her understanding as the elevator doors opened up to the ICU.  “Okay, I won’t push you on it,” she replied as they walked up to the nurse’s station.

 

Mac pulled out his badge.  “Detectives Taylor and Bonasera here to see Nadezhda Pasternak.”

 

The nurse consulted the charts in front of her.  “I’m sorry, Detective, but Mrs. Pasternak has been transferred to a private hospital per her request.”

 

Mac grew serious.  “What hospital?” he queried.

 

The woman rummaged through the papers on the desk. “Give me a moment,” she said as she searched.  “It’s been a crazy morning.  Oh, here it is.  North General Hospital in Harlem,” she said triumphantly as she produced the transfer paperwork.

 

Stella smiled at the woman.  “Thanks, can we get a copy of that?” she asked sweetly, wondering why a woman from Russia would want to be transferred to a hospital in Harlem.

 

The woman hesitated.  “Well, I’m not really supposed to, but seeing as you’re detectives and all, I’ll let it slide if it will get you out of here.  We’ve admitted five new patients in the last two hours and we’re understaffed.”

 

Stella nodded.  “It will and we truly appreciate it,” she said as the woman moved to make the copy.  As soon as the documents were in hand, Stella and Mac turned in tandem to go back to the elevator.  As soon as they were out of earshot of the accommodating nurse, Stella mused, “She’s running.  I can feel it.”

 

Mac nodded.  “I’ll call Hawkes and have him get over there and talk to her,” he said as he pulled out his phone.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Cory awoke at noon, knowing that she needed to get as much done as possible.  After arranging for some fruit and tea to be brought up to her hotel room, she decided to make a quick call to Lydia, knowing that even with the time difference her workaholic protégé would be in the office.  Lounging on the bed, she quickly dialed the other woman’s number.

 

 _“Hey Cory,”_ Lydia answered.

 

“Hey, yourself.  Has anything important come up?” Cory queried.

 

 _“Nope,”_ Lydia responded.  _“I did get the extra info to Derek and he’s going to see if his team can possibly figure out what Etienne’s next move is going to be.  I tracked down every thing I could to see if he’d left the city, but I got nowhere.”_

 

Cory sighed.  “I’m not surprised at that.  When Alistair finally got me in to see him, he gave me some background on him.  He worked for both the KGB and InterPol and is very familiar with both organizations.  I’m going back up there today and we are supposed to work on gathering more information about whatever organization he is involved in.”

 

_“Sounds like a plan.  Anything else going on?”_

 

Cory bit her lip, but refrained from talking about her problems with Danny.  She knew that it was something that she had to address to him in person.  “Not really.  How’s Derek doing?” she asked, trying to redirect the conversation.

 

Lydia smiled.  _“Good.  It’s almost like we never stopped dating.  I’d forgotten how much fun we had while we were dating and this is like starting over.”_

 

Cory smiled.  “That’s good to hear, because if he breaks your heart, he’s gonna have to answer to me, ya know?”

 

Lydia laughed.  _“I’ll be sure to warn him, but he might not take your threat seriously.”_

 

Cory giggled.  “He’d better,” she responded as there was a knock on the door.  “I’d better go; my breakfast is here.”

 

_“Okay.  When do you think you’ll be back?”_

 

“A couple of days.  Honestly, I don’t think that there will be too much information that I can get here that I can’t get when I’m back at home,” she responded as she climbed off of the bed and grabbed her wallet to grab a few pounds so that she could tip the server.  “I’ll talk to you later.”  She flipped her phone closed as she opened the door and let the server in. 

 

Forty-five minutes later, she was walking into InterPol; she smiled at the Iron Maiden as she walked up to the desk.  “I’m here to see Alistair Murphy,” she said pleasantly as she stood there.  “He’s expecting me.”

 

The woman looked skeptical, but responded professionally, “Name, please?”

 

“Special Agent Corrine Reid.”

 

The woman looked at her list before picking up a visitor’s badge.  “Here you go, Ms. Reid.  He’s expecting you.”

 

“Thank you,” Cory responded with a slight smirk before accepting the badge and walking to the elevators.  When she got to Alistair’s office, she knocked on the open door before walking in.

 

Alistair looked up from his computer and waved her in.  “Good afternoon, Corrine.  I trust that you slept well?”

 

“Yes, I did.  Did you?”

 

“After Molly reminded me that I am meant to be semi-retired and she thought I was done with being at the office to all hours of the night, yes.”

 

Cory giggled.  “You have a very understanding wife,” she said ignoring the pain in her heart when she thought about Danny.  “So, what I want to do is see if we can somehow pinpoint what Etienne’s plans are.  I know from what Mom has told me, he’s trying to destroy America, but I don’t know why.”

 

Alistair motioned for her to sit as he thought about the situation.  “I’m not sure.  He never displayed any anti-American sentiments when he was here, but that doesn’t mean that he didn’t have them.”

 

Cory tapped her lip as she sifted through all the information that she knew about her nemesis.  “Okay, he watched his parents get killed when the Soviets invaded the Czech Republic in ’68.  So, why does he go work for the KGB?”

 

"My guess, Corrine, is that he realized it would be easier to attack the country he hates from the inside, rather from the outside."

 

"Okay, so he hates the USSR, but then why doesn't he attack it?  And has he somehow transferred that hate from them to us?  If that happened..."  Cory trailed off, not wanting to vocalize her fears.

 

"If that has happened, then we need to find him.  Etienne is a very dangerous man.  There is a reason as to why the KGB isn't as prevalent and affluent as they once were."

 

Cory looked at Alistair in shock.  "Really?  So what happened to the KGB?  It wasn't just the fall of the Curtain that curtailed their activities?"

 

“That was part of it, but not all.  What happens when you employ some of the most twisted minds in the world?” Alistair answered.

 

"You could say that the concentration of that many psychopaths would be detrimental to the organization, couldn't you?" Cory theorized.

 

"The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it," Alistair quoted.

 

Cory nodded.  "Einstein was ahead of his time in so many ways," she agreed.  She sighed.  "So, the psychopaths that were employed by the KGB where responsible for its downfall.  How does that help us catch Etienne?"

 

"Sometimes it takes a psychopath to understand a psychopath, Cory," Alistair told her.  "Since I heard that Etienne was on the rise again, I’ve had my feelers out for any source of information.  A contact came through, and we arrested a man who once worked with Etienne in the KGB.  Maybe it would be beneficial to talk with this man and see if he can enlighten us as to Etienne's intentions?"

 

Cory fought the urge to grit her teeth, knowing that Alistair was just now interesting in sharing information and it had taken putting her relationship in jeopardy to get him to help her.  She shook her head, forcing herself not to snap at him, but raised an eyebrow.  "I trust that he is truly vetted this time?"

 

"He was also inducted by me in the same way Etienne was.  It was through Etienne's help that he eluded custody all those years ago."

 

"So, he was one of the men that y'all wanted to bring in to gather more information about the KGB.  If Etienne has been helping him, then why would he want to help us?"

 

Alistair looked awkwardly at his hands.  "I'm afraid that's something you're better off not knowing, Cory.'

 

"Uh-uh.  I am not taking that answer, Alistair.  I've had enough of you withholding information from me.  It's already cost fifty children their lives and I will not let that happen again," she shot back venomously.

 

“Amongst other things, the man is a war criminal, a key player in the Rwanda genocides to name his most recent monstrosities.  There are numerous countries that would be fighting for his extradition.  For his assistance, maybe we could offer him an alternative which doesn't come with torture and a death penalty.  Or at least, a more refined death penalty.”

 

Cory thought about him.  "This is the part of the job I hate.  Bargaining."  She finally shook her head.  "When faced with the alternatives," she conceded thinking about her visions, "then I think I may be able to work something out.  What would he like for his cooperation?"

 

Alistair failed in biting back a dry laugh.  “A presidential pardon.”

 

Cory snorted.  "Ain't gonna happen, Alistair.  I don't have that kind of power."

 

"No, but maybe an alternate coming from you would be better than coming from me.  You're probably much closer to his type than I."

 

Cory's eyes grew big for a moment.  "Are you seriously asking me to prostitute myself out for this?”

 

Alistair shook his head.  "No, not at all,” he told her, horrified at the thought.  "I am merely saying that you would have a better time at persuading him to accept another reward to giving us the information we need."

 

Cory sighed.  "God.  Maybe tell him that I can get the death penalty taken off the table, but if he's a war criminal, then he's going to have to go to a tribunal in Warsaw.  Part of the Geneva Convention, sweetie.  Exactly which countries are after his hide?"

 

Alistair cleared his throat uncomfortably.  “Put it this way, there's probably a country for every letter in the alphabet.  And that's just the beginning.”

 

"Okay.  Get me a list and I'll take it to my boss to see if he can put something together.  Do you have him in custody right now?"

 

"How do you fancy seeing the country?" Alistair asked her

 

"I've always wanted to take a drive through the countryside," Cory said slyly.

 

"Good, because we're heading to the heart of Yorkshire."

 

"Am I dressed appropriately?" Cory asked as she gestured to her business suit and heels.

 

"Whilst I hate to comment negatively on your attire, unfortunately Full Sutton is a Category A prison, and the shortest sentence in there is four years.  Most of these men haven't seen a woman in years and they're all in for some of the worst crimes you can imagine."

 

Cory smiled.  “Okay, can we make a stop at my hotel so I can change into some slacks?”

 

“Certainly, my dear.  It’s a four hour car journey, so I suggest we leave right now,” Alistair answered her.

 

\----------------------------------

 

When Hawkes pulled up to the hospital, he smiled.  This was the hospital that his father had worked at when he was a child and it brought back good memories of his dad telling him about how everyone deserved good medical care, no matter how much money they made.  He walked towards the reception area, smiling when he recognized the receptionist as an old classmate in high school.  “Carla, how are you doing?”

 

The pretty black skinned woman smiled at Hawkes as he leaned on the desk.  “Dr. Sheldon Hawkes.  What are you doing here?” she said with a wide smile.

 

“Working, unfortunately,” he responded as he withdrew his badge.  “I’m here to see a patient that was transferred here today.  Nadezhda Pasternak.”

 

Carla looked up at him, confused.  “Doc, we haven’t had any transferred patients in the last week.  Are you sure that she was transferred here?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Carla shook her head.  “I’m sorry, Doc.  She’s not here.”

 

Hawkes shook his head, trying not to sigh in exasperation.  “Okay.  Thanks, Carla,” he said as he turned to leave.

 

Carla shook her head.  “Hey, Doc?  You wanna have a coffee something?” she called after him.

 

Hawkes stopped and turned around.  Thinking for a moment, he slowly nodded and pulled out a business car on which he wrote his cell number.  “Give me a call and I’ll see if I can get free long enough to do that.”

 

“Bye, Doc.”


	30. Crime for Crime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Ani Difranco.

 

Chapter 29.

 

** Crime for Crime **

 

After making the short stop at Cory’s hotel, Alistair and she began the long journey to Yorkshire.  His black Jaguar S-type felt luxurious to her with walnut trim and every single amenity that one could put in a car.  The leather seats were as soft as butter and as she looked out the privacy glass at the countryside flashing by, she felt hope that she would get the answers that she was seeking.  She had spent an hour on the phone with Agent Michaels, who had agreed with her that the possible information was too vital not to try to get it.  He had cautioned her to not make any sort of deals until she’d made sure that the information was useful.

 

About three hours in to the journey, Cory turned to Alistair.  “So, do you care to give me any information in regards to what I’m getting myself into?”

 

Alistair motioned to his briefcase.  “His dossier is in there, if you want to read.”

 

Cory pulled the dossier out and began to read.  "What the hell?  He's American?" she exclaimed as she read the top of the dossier.  Lukasz Adamicz, born December 13, 1961 in Chevak, Alaska.

 

Alistair just looked at her in exasperation.  "What, you don't think that an American could plot to bring down his own country?  Surely you're not that naive, Corrine."

 

"Of course not, especially after 9/11, but it still shocks me to see that, Alistair.  Why don't you just tell me about him?  I have a feeling there is more to him than the dossier can tell me," she surmised.

 

“All I can tell you, Corrine, is that his parents were part of a sleeper cell that the KGB had put together to bring down the American Oil Industry.  This was before the American government began their dependency on foreign oil.” 

 

“So, he was never raised as an American, or more truly he was raised as an American so he could fit in with us to bring us to our knees," Cory supposed.

 

“You’re right.  So, expect him to be charming and trying to make you think that he’s just a fall guy, but that can’t be farther from the truth.”

 

Cory sighed, wishing for one moment that the world was black and white instead of suffused with every shade of gray imaginable.  Her eyes flicked back to the picture of him.  He was an extremely attractive man, in fact he reminded her of Daniel Craig and she wondered if he played that up.  _Probably,_ she thought to herself.  “So, what ever happened to the cell?” she asked out of curiosity.

 

“It was decommissioned after the oil embargo in 1973, but I have conflicting intelligence on that point.  Some say it was completely disbanded, but many more state that their purpose was changed.  To what, I don’t know, but since I know that Lukasz stayed in the States until after college, when he then joined up with the KGB, I believe that.”

 

Cory pursed her lips.  “This will be fun, then,” she said dryly.  Both of them lapsed into silence as they got closer to their destination.

 

When they finally pulled up to the imposing concrete and brick structure, Cory bit her lip.  “I hope that he will give us the information that we need.”

 

Alistair smiled.  “Corrine, with a smile like that, you could probably have turned George Michael straight.  I don't think getting information from Lukasz will be a problem.”

 

Cory blushed a little at hearing someone old enough to be her father say something like that.  “All righty then, let’s get this show on the road,” she said in embarrassment as she quickly climbed out of the car.  As they entered the prison, Cory became aware that Alistair was definitely well known there.  The guards greeted him by name and other than a couple of lingering glances treated her with respect.  Moments later, they were taken into an interview room to await the arrival of Lukasz.

 

As they waited, Cory glanced in the mirror to re-pin her hair up.  Some of it had fallen down during ride.  Just as she was done, the door opened and a guard led Lukasz in.  Cory studied him coolly as he walked in, noting the fact that he was even better looking in person than in his photograph.

 

Lukasz nodded to Alistair as he sat down in front of them, his eyes roaming over her body ravenously.  “Well Agent Murphy,” he said with his voice surprising devoid of any accent, “I see that you took my advice and brought me someone prettier to talk to.”  He looked at Cory and winked suggestively.  “I’m glad to see that the United Kingdom branch of InterPol has such gorgeous agents.”

 

Cory suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and instead decided to emphasize her drawl.  “Well, I wouldn’t know about that, sweetie, seeing as I’m not from around here,” she said doing her best imitation of a Southern Belle.  She noticed his eyebrows rise and resisted the urge to smirk.  _Two can play this game, boy._

 

“Well, this is a surprise.  American, the South, possibly Georgia.  I love my Southern girls.”

 

Cory just looked at him coolly.  “American, yes.  Southern, yes.  Georgian, no.  But that is neither here nor there.  SSA Corrine Reid, FBI.  I’m here to ask you some questions about Etienne Martel.”

 

Lukasz’s smile grew.  “Well, Agent Reid, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.  Etienne didn’t tell me how beautiful you are.  But why should I give you any information on the man that has saved my life numerous times?”

 

“Because I’ve been authorized to offer you a deal,” Cory responded.

 

“What kind of deal?” he returned.

 

Cory smirked.  “It depends on the information, which shall be verified before any deal is made.  So basically, if you give me crap, you get crap.”

 

Lukasz smiled arrogantly.  “Fair enough.  What would you like to know?”

 

“What are his plans in regards to America?  Why does he want to destroy us?” Cory asked.

 

“You don’t believe in going slow, do you?” he responded.

 

“Why go slow, when I can get everything I want?” she shot back.

 

Lukasz laughed.  “I do believe I like you, Agent Reid.  To answer your first question, I don’t know.  I was never privy to those plans, but for your second…I’ll need to take you back to when he joined the KGB.”

 

“So enlighten us,” Cory said.

 

Lukasz sighed.  “We joined the KGB at the same time.  It’s a very enlightening experience for both of us, but for different reasons.  His goal, which I discovered when we were rooming together, was to bring down the KGB.  He blamed them for the murder of his parents ten years before.  I, on the other hand, was raised on patriotism to The Red Banner.  My parents were patriots and raised me the same way.  I joined because it was expected of me.”

 

Cory and Alistair glanced at each other, the information was nothing that they hadn’t surmised.

 

“Anyway, the unexpected happened.  We became best friends.  We were inseparable during training, often going out for drinks.  I think I showed him a different side to the USSR.  With my help, and the help of my parents, we discovered what had actually happened to his parents.  They were murdered by undercover CIA agents in an attempt to raise dissention among the Czechs.”

 

Cory bit back a hostile retort in defense of her country.  Such politics were not unknown in the CIA, but in this particular sense something about it seemed off.  “So what happened after that?”

 

Lukasz laughed.  “What do you think happened?  He became a good little soldier,” he said sarcastically.  “He shot to the top of the ranks and then the Curtain fell.  The policies changed into a more Western sympathizing tone and we left.  Etienne decided to infiltrate InterPol and I just went freelance.”

 

“So how does this help me stop him?” Cory interposed.

 

“Who said that I was going to help you stop him,” Lukasz sneered.

 

Cory just stood.  “And who said that I was going to save you from a long and painful death in Rwanda?” she countered as she grabbed her bag to leave.  “Think about it.  You play ball with me and I can help you.  Let’s go Alistair.”

 

Together they exited the room and Alistair looked at her in admiration.  “I’m very impressed Corrine.  You handled him very well.”

 

Cory smiled.  “I just put the cogs in motion; the ball is in his court now.  But, at least we have a starting place to try to profile Etienne, so I can get this info to Lydia.”

 

“Very well.  I do believe that he will contact us very shortly,” Alistair said as he led her back outside to the car.

 

\----------------------------------

 

When Hawkes got back to the lab with the news that their prime suspect had disappeared, no one was surprised.  As soon has he Hawkes done reporting to Mac, Adam walked in, fairly jumping in excitement.

 

“I think you guys need to see this,” he said, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet.  “I got some information off of the computer in the bedroom.  It’s very enlightening.”

 

Intrigued, Hawkes and Mac followed the young man, grabbing Stella and Danny as they walked towards the AV lab.

 

Once everyone was settled in the lab, Adam tapped a couple of keys and pulled up a word processor document.  “I found this, it was behind three layers of encryption and written in an obscure Germanic language known as Gothic.  Let me tell you, it took some time to find an internet service that could translate it.”

 

Mac looked at Adam with respect.  “I’m impressed,” he said simply.

 

Adam flushed slightly, but continued on, “Anyway, this is basically a diary.  It starts just after his father was murdered.  He suspected Polina of murdering him and only went with her to try to gather evidence.”

 

“So why stay with her for twenty years?” Danny asked in confusion.

 

Adam shrugged.  “He was terrified of her.  When they were arranging to flee the USSR, he wrote that she contacted a person in the KGB known as Ivan Barteslavic and he arranged for them to come into the U.S.  The meeting with the man terrified him and Polina issued a concealed threat that if he were to leave her, he would be killed.  So he stayed.”

 

Stella shook her head sadly.  “It’s actually sad.  I wonder how he reacted when he found out what she was doing to the homeless people she brought home.”

 

Adam grinned.  “I’ve got that answer as well.  It was in the more recent sections.   He didn’t become aware of the monstrosities until about a year ago and as he put it,” Adam said as he scrolled through the translated pages quickly and then highlighted a section.  _“Polina has been doing crude and monstrous experiments on the poor people she has brought home.  I have long been aware that she was more than likely killing them, since none of them ever were here more than a week, but the atrocities that she has committed would even had made my father, who was a Nazi torturer, sick to his stomach.  He must certainly be spinning in his grave if he is aware of what is going on here from his reserved spot in Hell.  I can’t abide by this any longer and I must discover a way to give these poor abused souls some relief.  I am a doctor, surely I can discover a way, if Polina will ever let me out of this prison that she keeps me locked in.”_

 

“He’s referring to the house.  He was not allowed to leave it,” Adam supplied helpfully as he scrolled down some more.  “This explains more.”

 

_“By doing some covert research on the internet, I have discovered what I must do.  The only catch will be gathering the necessary supplies to put my plan in motion.  I have found all of her hiding places for the people she has kidnapped and to humanely euthanize this many people will take large quantities of sodium thiopental, pancuronium bromide and potassium chloride.  I must somehow find a way to smuggle these drugs in.”_

 

Hawkes nodded in understanding.  “That really is the best way to euthanize someone.  And it leaves very little trace since the drugs are metabolized by the body.  That’s why there was no smoke in the lungs.”

 

“So, he euthanized them, then set the house on fire.  But he was killed,” Mac thought aloud.

 

“He said in his diary that he intended on killing both Polina and himself while the house burned down.  Something about it being the just thing to do,” Adam stated.

 

Mac nodded.  “I’ll get with Angell and see if she can issue a warrant for her arrest and hopefully something will turn up,” Mac stated.  “Stella, why don’t you contact Lydia and see who we need to speak with to get her added onto the most wanted list.  She’s a psychopath and she’s only likely to do this again.”

 

Stella nodded.  “I’ll also see if she’s gotten in touch with Cory about how they managed to get into the country, around the safeguards in place.  We really need to find out if there are anymore compromised ICE agents.”

 

Hawkes looked at them.  “I’ll be down in autopsy, working with Sid and Marty to see if we can possible put names with the bodies down there.  Hopefully, we’ll be able to identify them and get some closure for their families.”  He shook his head.  “It’s only a shame that we don’t know how many victims there truly are,” he muttered as he left the room.

 

Mac looked at Danny.  “I want you working on seeing if we can pinpoint the actual hospital that she went to.  With her injuries, she can’t have just left.  She must have some sort of escape route planned.”

 

Danny looked thoughtful.  “I’ll go through tax records and such to see if she has any property outside of the city.  She can’t have gone far.”

 

“Make sure you check under both names.  She was crazy, not stupid,” Mac advised.

 

“I will, boss.”

 

\----------------------------------

 

Lydia had just finished reading all the material that Cory had sent her, on both the case she researched for the crime lab and Etienne.  She had to admit, the more she found out about the Etienne, the more he made her skin crawl.  But she did agree with her boss on one count.  She was sure that with the information that she had found out, Morgan and his team might be able to put together a good profile.

 

Smiling, she dialed Morgan.

 

 _“Hey, Mami,”_ he greeted her.  _“What’s going on?”_

 

“Hey, babe.  I’m actually calling about business.  Cory has managed to get some more info on Etienne, so I was wondering if it might be enough for your team to put together a profile.”

 

Morgan thought for a moment.  _“I can certainly see.  We’re in between cases right now, so give me a sec to round everyone up,”_ he said as he walked into the Pit.  He quickly gathered Dr. Spencer Reid, SSA Emily Prentiss, SSA Jennifer Jareau, Technical Analyst Penelope Garcia, Senior SSA David Rossi and Unit Chief, SSA Aaron Hotchner together.  Then he put Lydia on speakerphone.  “Okay, go ahead, Lyd.  I’ve got you on speaker.”

 

 _“Hi.  I’m Lydia Sanchez, from the New York office.  I don’t know how much info Derek has given you on the case that I’m working on, so I’m going to start from the beginning,”_ she said as a way of introduction.  As quickly and concisely as possible she went over the history of the case.  Then she moved on to the new information.  _“My boss, SSA Reid is in England right now with InterPol.  She has managed to get some information from an informant there.  We know that when he joined the KGB, he was brainwashed into believing that the CIA engineered the murder of his parents, so he transferred his hate from the USSR to the U.S.  The informant wasn’t more forthcoming today, but if I know Cory, she’ll get more out of him soon.”_

 

In Virginia, the BAU team looked at each other, each processing the information that they’d been given.  David Rossi, the most senior profiler started out with his suppositions.  “Given what information we have now, I’d say that he would definitely try to infiltrate the U.S. as he did with the KGB.  Have you cross checked to see if he ever applied to be hired into the FBI or CIA?”

 

Lydia sighed.  _“I did, but there was nothing there.  He’s been on an InterPol watch list since he went rogue in the early nineties, so his fingerprints would have come back.  I’d guess that he knew that and knew that he couldn’t infiltrate us the same way,”_  she reasoned.

 

Reid nodded his head.  “It sounds as if he is a very intelligent man.  So he knows that he can’t go the same route twice.  If I were him, I’d find someone that I could trust to infiltrate the organization from within.  Someone with no known connection to me or a criminal history.”

 

“I agree,” Morgan interjected.  “He did work for the KGB, so maybe he had some old contacts through there.”

 

“Or maybe he had something better,” Garcia exclaimed.  “What if he had someone in a sleeper cell?”

 

Prentiss looked at Garcia in disbelief.  “Come on, Garcia.  A sleeper cell?  You’ve been reading too many conspiracy theories.”

 

Lydia cleared her throat.  _“Actually, sleeper cells are not just fiction.  The informant that Cory is getting this information from was part of one.”_

 

“Then how can we trust the information that she is getting,” Hotch questioned.

 

Lydia smiled.  _“Since she is pretty much guaranteeing that she won’t send him back to Rwanda to be charged in the genocides that he was part of there, he will not be giving her false information.  She basically told him that all info would be verified before she would give him anything.”_

 

Hotch nodded.  “Smart woman.  Can you send us copies off all the information that you’ve gotten so far?”

 

 _“Not a problem.  I’ll zip and encrypt the files and then send them to Morgan in an email,”_ Lydia began.

 

“Actually, why don’t you send them to Garcia?” Morgan suggested.  “If she can’t find an electronic trail of him, then one doesn’t exist.  We do need to find out where he is going, especially if your boss’s theories are correct and he is planning a major attack on American soil.”

 

 _“Okay.  I must remind you guys that he brainwashed three good American teenagers into committing mass murder.  He is dangerous and the quicker we find him, the better,”_ Lydia cautioned before hanging up.

 

The profilers looked at each other before Hotch began to issue assignments.  “Garcia, while you’re waiting on the email, why don’t you see what you can find on him.  Any properties, bank accounts, that sort of thing.”

 

“Sure thing,” the blonde technical whiz said.

 

“I want the rest of you, except JJ, to work on building a profile on what we know.  JJ, I want you to continue looking at cases for us.  Since this isn’t a hot case, we can’t put everything to the side because of it.”

 

The team nodded their understanding as they left to begin their tasks.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Several hours later, Hawkes was finishing up in autopsy for the night.  He had just removed his scrubs, when he felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket.  He fished it out and looked at the unfamiliar number on the screen.  “Dr. Hawkes,” he answered.

 

 _“Hey, Sheldon.  It’s Carla.  I was wondering if you were free for coffee now,”_ the pleasant voice said.

 

Hawkes smiled.  “I am actually just finishing up,” he answered.  “Did you have anyplace in mind?”

 

 _“There’s this great shop down the street from the hospital, if you want to meet there,”_ Carla responded.

 

“I think I know what you’re talking about.  Give me an hour to get there.”

 

_“Great.  I’ll see you there.”_

 

 


	31. Belgium

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first!
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here's the next chapter! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don't own the chapter title either. That belongs to the fabulous Bowling for Soup! Also, this is an untitled hidden track from the Drunk Enough to Dance album, but I did at least find the title! The line that inspired the use of the song is, "I'm halfway around the world and just a day behind."

Chapter 30.

** Belgium **

 

Hawkes was looking at Carla in surprise, his hands cupping his coffee mug. "What do you mean we've known each other since we were kids?" he asked, searching his memory for her.

 

Carla smiled. "What? You don't remember me? I stumped the boy genius? I'm impressed," she teased. "You really don't remember? My mom used to bring me to the hospital with her? She was a nurse and her and your father worked together a lot. You were maybe four or five."

 

Hawkes shook his head. "No. I don't remember meeting you until we were in college," he said as he thought back to his undergraduate days at NYU. "It was in senior level biology."

 

Carla sighed. "Ah, I remember it well. If not for you, I would have failed that class."

 

Hawkes laughed. "You don't give yourself enough credit," he assured her, remembering how easy it had been to explain the coursework to her. "You would have figured it out."

 

Carla shook her head. "Nope. The professor hated me. Before I finally got up the courage to ask you for help, I had asked him a couple of times. Needless to say, I was more confused after I talked to him than before!"

 

"He did have a way of talking completely over his students, didn't he?" Hawkes asked.

 

"That's an understatement," Carla shot back. "I swear Sheldon, you were only sixteen, but you had a better grasp of how to teach than he did."

 

Hawkes felt heat rise in his cheeks. "Thanks. Why did it take you half the semester to ask for help?"

 

"Pride. Nothing more than that. I'm six years older than you, Sheldon. It was embarrassing to have to ask you for help."

 

Hawkes looked at her, a teasing smile on his face. "And here I thought it was because of my stunning good looks." He grew serious for a moment. "I had the biggest crush on you," he admitted.

 

Carla blushed. "Really? I never knew. I just got to know you as the little brother that I'd always wanted."

 

Hawkes looked at her, before reaching across the small table to grasp her hand lightly. "Do you still see me as your brother?" he asked quietly.

 

Carla looked into his chocolate eyes before shaking her head. "No, I don't."

 

Danny rubbed his eyes wearily underneath his glasses before deciding to take a break from his research. He had searched through every database he could think of, expanding his search nationally when the local records had come up short on any properties that the Pasternak's could have purchased. Hours spent in front of the computer, straining his eyes for nothing. From what he could tell, there were some huge withdrawals of cash from their accounts, but he couldn't find a record of any large purchases.

 

"Face it, Danny boy," he mumbled aloud. "You need Cory's help to get through all of the accounting crap." He bit his lip, still not ready to talk to her. Instead, he shot an email to the forensic accounting unit of the lab and then grimaced when he realized the time. It was after two a.m., and they didn't get in until eight. Sighing in exasperation, he gathered his gear to make his way home.

 

When he got there, he wearily placed his gun in the safe and walked into the bedroom. He looked at the bed, which seemed huge without Cory there. Shaking his head, he grabbed his clothes to shower. In the shower, he thought back over the previous week, before his life had spun out of control. In his heart, he blamed Cory, although intellectually he knew that she only had a small role in it. I know that she does tend to rush off, her mind only on the case, but damn it, she really needs to think about us as a couple. I would just like to know what's going on with her. She's been single-minded about Etienne since Alexis was rescued. I don't know how to help her. If she continues at this pace, she's going to burn out, he thought. Finally figuring out why he was so upset with her, he breathed a sigh of relief. He knew now what he needed to do, how he needed to confront her when she got back in town.

 

With relief making his heart lighter for the first time since he'd awoken alone, he crawled under the covers, his last conscious thought being how the bed seemed too big without her next to him.

 

When Cory awoke, she felt a sense of impending doom. She knew that she'd had a dream, or rather nightmare, but the pieces of it were quickly flitting from her memory. Shaking her head, she thought about what she had been dreaming, but since Armando had not made an appearance, she was fairly certain that it had not been precognitive. Taking into account the events of the previous week, she knew that she was probably just subconsciously reacting to the fight with Danny.

 

Sitting up in bed, she brushed her hair back from her face, her mind wandering back to her interview with Lukasz the previous day. She expected a call from him with a day or so, if the feel that she had gotten from him was correct. She smirked, recalling how he had tried to play her and the expression he had been wearing when she walked out of the room.

 

After her brain was working properly, she climbed out of the bed and made her way to the bathroom to take a shower. She had just turned off the water, when she heard phone ringing. Swearing softly under her breath as she slid on the tile floor a bit, she wrapped the towel around her shoulders to catch the water dripping from her hair. "Reid?"

 

"Corinne, I hope that you are awake," Alistair's crisp voice answered her.

 

"Good morning to you, too, Alistair. I've actually just gotten out of the shower," Cory answered him.

 

"Good. Are you ready for another trip through the countryside?"

 

Cory's eyebrows rose in surprise. "He's already contacted you?"

 

"Yes. There was a message waiting for me when I arrived this morning. I do believe that you made quite an impression on him," Alistair answered her.

 

"Good. I need this intel. Give me an hour to get ready and we can leave."

 

"Perfect. That will give me enough time to finish up a few things."

 

Cory hung up the phone with a smile and quickly walked back into the bathroom to finish getting ready.

 

Lindsay had just finished putting her shoes on when Flack walked in. "Hey, Don," she said softly, her hands quickly gathering her hair back into a ponytail.

 

Flack smiled at her, giving her a soft kiss before walking to the bassinet where Ryan was sleeping peacefully. "Hey, you ready to get out of here?" he responded.

 

Lindsay nodded, a sense of contentment coming over her. She couldn't believe the peace that had come over her the first time she had held Ryan. She had stared down at his peaceful face and marveled on how perfect he was. "I can't wait to get home. I just want to take a long hot shower. My hair is a mess."

 

"You look beautiful," Flack told her. "Do you know how much I love you?"

 

"I love you, too," Lindsay responded as she carefully picked Ryan up, trying not to wake him, so that they could leave. Waving to the nurses, they walked out of the hospital and into the bright sunlight. Gently, Lindsay strapped the baby into the car seat, then climbed in front.

 

Flack drove carefully on the way home, thinking about how many cases he'd worked with that had involved a car accident. Thankfully, they got home without incident and when Lindsay made a motion to get the baby out, Flack shook his head. "Let me," he said quietly.

 

Lindsay nodded, knowing that he wanted to spend as much time with the baby as possible. "Sure," she said as she grabbed the diaper bag instead. As they walked up the four flights of stairs to their apartment, Lindsay decided to ask, "When do you go back to work?"

 

Flack paused and turned his head to look over his shoulder. "Six weeks. I decided to take paternity leave. I wanted to be here for both of you."

 

Lindsay smiled. "Thanks. Your mom offered to watch Ryan for us when I go back to work," she revealed.

 

"Really?" Flack responded in surprise. While he didn't have a really close relationship with his parents, they still spoke on occasion. His mom, Angela, had been excited when they had told them of the pregnancy. His dad had been more reserved, but it still pleased him to know that his first grandchild was on the way. "I'm glad. I think that it will be good for both of them."

 

Lindsay laughed. "You mean that it's a chance for them to spoil Ryan rotten. But, that's how it's supposed to be with the first grandchild."

 

Flack just shook his head as he unlocked their door. "I can't imagine my dad spoiling anyone," he quipped. "But maybe now that he's retired, he's gotten better." He looked down at the sleeping infant and carefully walked into the nursery to lay him down in the crib. He turned on the monitor as walked into his and Lindsay's bedroom as she was getting undressed. Smothering a groan of desire, since he knew that it would be six weeks before they could have sex again, he decided to change the subject. "You hungry?"

 

Lindsay groaned. "God yes. The hospital food was okay, but it left a lot to be desired. I would kill for some good pizza."

 

Flack mock bowed, "Your wish is my command. I'll go order it now and then we can catch up on a movie. Anything you want to watch?"

 

"You pick," Lindsay called over her shoulder before she shut the door.

 

Grinning, Flack walked to the entertainment center, to choose the movie as he made the call for the pizza.

 

Cory and Alistair arrived at the prison just slightly after lunchtime. Cory grinned as she climbed out of the car. "I'm surprised that he called so quickly."

 

Alistair just raised an eyebrow. "You can be very persuasive when you put your mind to it, Corinne. Besides, he sees you as someone he can manipulate."

 

Cory's grin turned into a smirk. "I love it when people underestimate me," she drawled back, flashing her badge to the guard on duty before they walked into the small interview room. It only took a few moments for another guard to lead the criminal in.

 

Lukasz shot Cory a smile as his eyes roamed over her fitted black suit and turquoise silk blouse beneath the jacket. "Alistair, I thought that I had conveyed to you that I wanted to speak to Agent Reid alone," he said smoothly, not once taking his gaze from Cory.

 

Cory glanced at Alistair, barely restraining her smirk. "It's okay, Alistair," she drawled. "I'll be fine."

 

Alistair nodded as he rose. "As you wish, Corinne," he said quietly before leaving the room.

 

"So, Mr. Adamicz, you wanted to speak with me?" Cory began.

 

He smiled. "Please, call me Luke. May I call you Corinne?"

 

"Sure," Cory responded. "So why did you call me here, Luke?"

 

"I pondered your offer last night and have decided to help you," he said. "What do you want to know about the man you call Etienne?"

 

"Why does he want to destroy the U.S.? Why is he focused on me particularly?" she asked. "And don't give me the crap about how you convinced him that the U.S. was responsible for the death of his parents."

 

Luke smiled. "I do like directness. It was not crap that I convinced him of the evilness of the U.S., but it was not the only reason that he was forced to change. The KGB employees a lot of different techniques to make sure that its operatives are committed one hundred percent to the cause. So, he was broken down mentally and basically reprogrammed."

 

Cory cocked an eyebrow. "While that is extremely disturbing, I can see that happening. But that still doesn't answer my question," she responded drolly.

 

"Ah, but it sets the stage. The programming worked better than anyone has expected and he was then trained in the art of assassination, but means of making the deaths look natural or by accident. Needless to say he excelled and for the first time in his life since his parent's death, I believe that he felt like he belonged. When the Wall came crashing down, so did the idyllic life that he had built."

 

"So he had lost his support and reacted the way that he'd been taught, with hate," Cory surmised.

 

"Correct, Corinne."

 

Cory studied the man, her head slightly cocked. "So why me?"

 

"You're beautiful, smart and deadly. I think he's smitten with you," Luke responded, a twinkle in his eye. "You are one of the few people that might be able to derail his plan."

 

"The plan that you have no idea of, right?"

 

Luke settled back. "Well, I wouldn't say that I have no idea, but I would say that I might know more than what I had let on yesterday."

 

Cory mimicked him and settled back in her chair, crossing her legs casually. "So enlighten me."

 

"Etienne has done extensive research into past and previous global dynasties. He's studied them to see what causes once great nations to completely collapse. I do believe that he might have found the solution in those studies. I do know that he is planner. He never does anything rash; it's not in his nature. Everything that he does has meaning."

 

"So any clues that he's left me have been deliberate," Cory mused, lightly tapping her finger to her lips. "That's interesting. Do you have any idea of how he'll attack?"

 

Luke shook his head. "Only that we will have trial runs before the actual attack. And he's a little obsessive compulsive, so he likes to do things in threes."

 

Cory took a moment to complete her notes. "Thank you."

 

Luke raised an eyebrow. "So, when do I get out of here?"

 

Cory laughed. "I never said that I'd get you out of jail, just that I'd prevent you from being extradited back to Rwanda. You will be transferred to a facility in New York, so that you will be available for my additional questions," she answered him.

 

Luke sighed, but nodded. "That is better than this hell hole," he conceded.

 

Cory just rolled her eyes as she stood to leave. "You will be transferred within a couple of days," she informed him as she turned to leave, happy to get away from his uncomfortable gaze.

 

"I can't wait," he called after her as she exited the room.

 

Cory sighed as closed the door behind her, resisting the urge to shudder in disgust.

 

Alistair smiled at her. "Did you get the information that you wanted?"

 

"Kind of. He gave me some background, but it's enough of a start that I can have the BAU start to build a good profile. I do believe that he is withholding information, but I'm confidant that with time, I'll be able to wrest the information from him."

 

"Oh, I have no doubt of that, Corinne. Does this mean that you are going to transfer him to New York?"

 

"Yeah, for the meantime. Once I get all of the information out of him that I can, he's coming right back to you, so you can prosecute him," Cory assured him.

 

"Thank you," Alistair said gratefully.

 

"No problem," she said before letting out a sigh. "I guess it's time for me to get back to New York."

 

Alistair nodded in understanding as they walked out of the prison. "Corinne, I'm sorry that I didn't confide in you about him," he said quietly as they walked towards his car. "But, whatever is bothering you, you need to deal with it."

 

Cory nodded. "I know, Alistair, it's just going to involve eating some crow. I don't like the taste of crow," she said wryly.

 

Alistair laughed. "Trust me, the taste only gets stronger the longer you wait," he advised.

 

Cory smiled. "I'll keep that in mind," she drawled as she settled into the butter soft leather seat for the long trip back to London.


	32. Bad Girlfriend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Theory of a Deadman.

Chapter 31.

 

** Bad Girlfriend **

 

Danny awoke the next morning feeling slightly refreshed.  He knew that it most of the reason that he slept so well was because he had figured out why Cory had pissed him off so much.  The decision and knowledge of how he needed to proceed had been a huge weight off of his shoulders.  He rushed through his shower, feeling excited, like he had all the answers.

 

When he got into work, around ten a.m., he immediately checked his email to see if the forensic accounting unit had found any information.  He did have an email from Glenn Pearson, but it was a simple confirmation that he had received the files and they would look over them right away.

 

Sighing, he decided to check in with Mac to see if his boss had found anything new.  “Hey, boss,” he greeted the ex-Marine as he opened the glass door.  “I couldn’t find anything in the property records.  I sent what I have down to Glenn Pearson in forensic accounting.  Maybe the number geeks can find something that I missed.”

 

Mac smiled, noting Danny’s improved mood.  “Good idea.  The warrant hasn’t turned up any leads and Lydia is helping Stella wade through all the red tape to get Pasternak on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list.”

 

Danny exhaled as he settled in a chair.  “I feel like we’re on a train to nowhere.  She’s like a ghost.  No hospitals within the tri-state area have her listed as a patient, nor do they have any records of a patient meeting her description being admitted.”

 

Mac just shook his head and handed the younger man a printout.  “We’ve done what we can do for now.  We’ve got some more cases to look at.  With Flack out on paternity leave, Maka is going to be covering for him.  She’s expecting you at the scene in thirty minutes.”

 

Danny nodded his head.  “Then I’m on my way.”  Danny rose from the chair and collected his kit.  Within moments he was on his way to the scene in Little Italy.  When he climbed out of the SUV, he breathed in the familiar smell of marinara and Canole.  He nodded to the uniform that held up the crime scene tape for him and walked over the Maka. 

 

The slight Asian woman shot him a smile.  “Hey, Messer,” she greeted him.

 

“What’ve we got, Kylie?” he returned all business.

 

“Looks like a simple gang initiation.  Go in, rob the register and kill anyone who gets in the way,” she responded.

 

Danny nodded as he walked in and set down his case.  As he settled on his hunches and snapped on his gloves, the familiarity of his job settled over him.  With a smirk, he began to process.

 

\----------------------------------

 

When Cory landed at JFK International airport, she was exhausted.  She had been unable to sleep during the seven hour plane ride and while it was only noon New York time, her body was still on London time and it was five there.  Once she cleared customs, she pulled out her phone and called Danny, only to have it go to voicemail.  “Hey _chere._   I wanted to let you know that I’m back in New York.”  She paused.  “Look, I know we need to talk, so call me.  Please.”  Closing her eyes briefly, she disconnected the call, disheartened.

 

Even though she was exhausted, the first thing that she did was get in her car and head to the Federal Plaza.  When she finally arrived, she quickly parked her car in the underground garage and made her way up to her office.  She was surprised to see Stella sitting at Lydia’s desk with her.  “Hey,” she greeted the pair.

 

Both women looked up; both noticing the exhaustion lining Cory’s face.  “Hey,” Stella returned.  “Are you okay?”

 

Cory just waved her hand, dismissing the older woman’s concern.  “Fine, it was a long flight.  What’s going on?”

 

Lydia smiled at her boss.  “Just walking Stella through all the red tape to get Polina Zolnerowich put on the Ten Most Wanted list.”  She furrowed her brow a second, not sure if she wanted to let her know what else was going on, but decided that she needed to let Cory know.  “Oh. I have news.”

 

Cory lifted an eyebrow, noticing the change in tone of Lydia’s voice.  “Oh, God.  What happened?”

 

“It’s nothing bad,” Lydia rushed to reassure her.  “Agent Michaels has decided to retire,” she revealed.

 

“But he’s only been the field office director for a year!” Cory exclaimed.

 

“I know, but he said something about his health.”  Lydia looked up as Cory settled on the corner of her desk.  “Agent Kate Joyner is taking his place.”

 

“Well, that is a surprise,” Cory drawled.  “She’s a good agent, but I never expected her to get a job like this.”

 

Lydia shrugged.  “I’m just going to wait and see what happens.  She wants to meet with you.  Let’s just say that she was less than pleased when I told her that I didn’t know when you were going to be back.”

 

Cory just raised an eyebrow.  “Don’t I feel the love?”  She shrugged.  “Oh, well.  I’ll face up to that tomorrow.  I am way too tired to deal with her today.”  She turned her attention to Stella.  “How’s Lindsay doing?  She still feeling like a beached whale?”

 

Stella looked confused until she realized that Cory didn’t know that Lindsay had already had the baby.  “Nope.  She had the baby a couple of days ago.”

 

“What?!  Geez, I go away for a week and I miss everything.”

 

Stella smiled.  “She got released from the hospital yesterday.  She and Flack are at home if you want to visit them.”

 

Cory smiled.  “Yeah, I do, but I have some paperwork that I have to finish up some paperwork about my trip abroad first.  Hopefully, it’ll only take an hour or so.  I just have to fill everything out to transfer a prisoner from InterPol to us.”

 

“We’ll leave you to it, then,” Lydia said.

 

Cory just smiled as she made her way to the office.  A few hours later, with part of her paperwork finished, she decided to make her way to Lindsay and Flack’s apartment.  She made the drive quickly, beating the worst of the rush hour traffic and quickly ran up the stairs. 

 

Flack opened the door after her quiet knock and smiled before drawing her into a hug.  “Hey, Cory.  You’re back,” he greeted her.

 

“Yup.  Got back around noon today.  It’s good to be home,” Cory told him as she returned his hug.  “So, I heard that there’s a new Flack in the world.”

 

Flack grinned.  “Why don’t you come and greet him?”

 

“It’s a boy?” Cory asked, her eyes twinkling. 

 

“Yes and his name is Ryan,” Lindsay said from the doorway to the hall.

 

Cory grinned as she walked over and gave her friend a big hug.  “Congrats!  God, I can’t believe that he’s finally here.”

 

Lindsay returned her hug and then guided the pair of them to the couch, while giving Flack a look clearly telling him to get lost.  “Yeah.  I had him in the lab.”

 

“What?  Oh my god.  You have to tell me everything,” Cory gushed.

 

Lindsay settled back and began to tell the story.  When she was done, she glanced at Cory.  “I was so glad Sid was there.  I would have freaked out even more, but that’s neither here nor there.  What is going on with you and Danny?”

 

Cory bit her lip.  “I was thoughtless and stupid.  I flew to London without even telling him that I was gone.  I didn’t even think about it until he called me.  I’m such an idiot.”

 

Lindsay patted her on the shoulder.  “I’m not going to tell you that what you did wasn’t stupid, but what’s the reason behind it?”

 

“Honestly, I don’t know if I can explain it.  He’s just gotten under my skin.  I am obsessed with catching him,” Cory admitted.  “I don’t know what to do.”

 

Lindsay nodded.  “I can’t tell you what to do, Cory, but I think you know.  You know that obsession, especially for those of us in law enforcement, is bad.  It’s the one way to guarantee that you’ll never catch him.”

 

Cory sighed.  “I know.  My head knows that, but my heart won’t let it go.  And if I don’t, I’m going to lose Danny.”

 

“I don’t know about that.  He loves you and together you two can work this out.”

 

“He won’t even return my calls, Linds.  I’ve left him five messages today, asking him if we could talk and he won’t even call me back,” Cory said forlornly. 

 

“Keep your chin up.  It’ll work out,” Lindsay reassured her.

 

Cory yawned.  “Thanks.  I’m going to go catch some sleep.  I’m still on London time, so I’ve been up forever.  Maybe next time that I come over, Ryan will be awake so I can visit him.”

 

Lindsay laughed.  “Feel free to come over about three a.m., he’s awake then.”

 

Cory just laughed as she gave Lindsay a hug and then called bye to Flack over her shoulder.

 

Lindsay smiled as Flack walked into the room.  “Don, I think you need to have a talk with Danny.  At least get him to talk to Cory,” she requested as he settled on the couch and pulled her into his arms.

 

Flack nodded.  “I’ll try, but Danny’s hotheaded, so I’m not making any guarantees.”

 

“Thanks,” Lindsay said as she heard Ryan begin to cry.  “Time for diaper duty.  It’s my turn this time, right?”

 

\----------------------------------

 

When Danny finally finished processing the evidence from his and Maka’s scene, he was exhausted.  _Huh, looks like Maka was right,_ he thought.  _This is just a simple case of gang initiation.  Haven’t had one of those in a while._   Overall, he was glad for a simple case, especially since the cases that they had been getting were all over the top.  It was almost relaxing to get a case that didn’t tie in with some weird human experiments or that was going to ultimately going to have to be passed off to the FBI.

 

He had just walked into the locker room when his phone rang.  He quickly checked the caller ID, since Cory had been calling him all day and he was still ignoring her calls and was surprised to find that it was Flack.  “Hey, man.  What’s up?” he answered.

 

 _“Why are you ignoring Cory?”_ Flack asked without preamble.

 

Danny glanced down at his phone in shock as the anger began to build.  “None of your business,” he shot back.  “Is she whining to you now?”

 

Flack sighed.  _“Look man, she’s back in town and she looks like shit.  She came over to visit Lindsay and the baby…And before you say anything, she has no idea that I’m calling you,”_ he returned with annoyance clear in his voice.  _“I’m not asking what the hell happened between the two of you, but damn it Danny, stop acting like a child!  Be a man.  Call her back.”_

 

Danny flushed in both anger and embarrassment as Flack hung up on him.  _“How dare he?”_ he raged mentally.  _“But you have been acting like a child,”_ his conscience argued.  _“But…”_ the second voice tried to counter.  _“But nothing, moron.  You know how bad she looked during the conference call.  Hell, she wouldn’t even look at you during that.  And you_ know _something else has been going on.  Now what?  She’s left you five voicemails, which you haven’t even_ bothered _to listen to and you are ignoring her like a petulant child!  Flack was right.  Grow up!”_

 

Danny sank down on the bench in resignation as his conscience smirked in triumph.  “Damn.  I am such a toe-rag,” he muttered.  Defeated, he picked up his phone again and listened to his voicemails.  By the time he’d gotten to the final one, he was feeling thoroughly chastised.  Cory had simply said, “Do you still want to get married?”  The sound of deflation in her voice made his heart clench in response.  Quickly, he grabbed his keys and ran out of the lab.

 

The drive home filled him with frustration.  There was an accident which doubled his drive time, so he didn’t get home until almost ten.  He drew a fortifying breath as he opened the door, not knowing what to expect, but it wasn’t a completely dark apartment.  There wasn’t a light on, so he flipped the switch and threw his keys on the table by the door.  Thinking for a moment, he surmised that she was probably asleep in the bedroom.  He was halfway down the hall, when he heard her scream out, “Oh God!  Danny!  No!”

 

His heart in his throat, he sprinted down the hall.


	33. Miss What’s Her Name

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Sammy Kershaw.

Chapter 32.

 

** Miss What’s Her Name **

 

When Cory got home from Lindsay and Flack’s she settled on the couch in exhaustion.  The stress of the previous week had finally caught up with her.  She tried to get the energy up to take out her contacts, which had been in for close to twelve hours.  She hated wearing them, but when she was traveling, they were easier to keep up with than her glasses.  Finally, she decided to go into the bathroom.  On her way she called Danny one more time and was unsurprised when his voicemail came on.  Holding back the tears, she simply said, “Do you still want to get married?”

 

When she got to the bedroom, she threw her phone on the bed and drew out some clean clothes and walked into the bathroom, grateful to be home.  After her shower, she crawled into the bed and within moments was fast asleep.

 

She knew she had been asleep for a long while when she drifted into the field of bluebonnets.  Not bothering to smother her groan as Armando walked up, she looked up at him.  “Don’t you think that I have enough on my plate at the moment?” she asked him.

 

Her dead friend just smiled.  “No rest for the wicked.  You know that.”

 

“So I’m wicked?” she responded with a smirk.

 

“Sometimes, but just remember, things that you see here are things you can change,” he cautioned her.

 

Cory grew serious.  “Okay, I really don’t like when you warn me like that.”  She stuck out her hand in preparation for the trip he was about to take her on.

 

_When Cory opened her eyes, she noticed that she was outside the Federal Plaza.  She looked at Armando, who was standing next to her in silent support.  She heard laughter and turned to see herself and Danny exiting the building.  They were both dressed to the nines.  She was wearing a ball length emerald green silk sheath dress and Danny was dressed in a tuxedo._

_“Are you sure you really want to do to this with me?” she heard herself ask him.  “I know that you really aren’t comfortable with the whole uber rich party scene.  Hell neither am I!”_

_Danny smiled down at her.  “Of course,_ bella _.  It’s for a good cause.  I don’t mind getting dressed up in the monkey suit for charity.”_

_Cory laughed, but stopped in the middle of the street as she dropped the small clutch.  “I’ll be right there,” she said as she encouraged Danny to continue towards the black SUV.”_

_“I’ll get the door for you,” Danny offered as she knelt down.  Then the world seemed to explode._

_Cory gasped as she turned into Armando, shielding herself even though she knew that what was happening in the vision wouldn’t hurt.  When she turned around again, she looked at the destruction.  The SUV was burning merrily away.  Danny was lying motionless about ten feet away from her and she saw herself picking herself up off of the sidewalk._

_She struggled to her feet, her dress in tatters, one of her shoes missing, but she didn’t stop to think.  She struggled to make her way to Danny, her arm lifted to fend off the hellish heat of the fire.  “Danny?  Danny?” she sobbed as the tears made tracks through the black soot that marred her face._

_Both Cory’s let out sighs of relief when Danny moved his arm slightly.  Her vision self sobbed over him as she bent down to hear what he had to say._

_“_ Bella? _What happened?  Can you help me up?” he whispered._

_“Danny, lie still.  You were thrown about twenty feet,” Cory responded, quelling her tears as she began to assess the damage._

_“Am I moving my legs?” Danny asked.  Cory stared in horror as his legs stayed motionless._

_“Oh, God,” she muttered.  “Lay still,_ chere. _I need to look at your back.”  Cory moved from her position by Armando to see what her other self was seeing.  Both of them let out a strangled sob in horror as they way that Danny’s back had born the brunt of the blast.  The flesh was ripped open and burned black.  Blood was gushing from a severed vein and Cory watched in shock as she reached her hand into his back to cut off the flow._

_Danny looked at her face, knowing that from her silence, his injuries were life threatening.  “Cory, I want you to know that I love you.  I’ve always loved you and I haven’t regretted a single moment since you blew into my life.”_

_Cory began to cry.  “You’ll be okay, Danny.  I love you; I know that you’ll be okay. You have to be okay,” she said brokenly._

_Danny shook his head slowly.  “I can see the light,_ bella. _I think that this is my time to go.  But never forget that I would gladly die for you.  And if this is my time, I know that at least you’re still alive.”_

_Cory just grasped his hand as she saw the life ebbing out of him.  “Oh God!  Danny!  No!!” she screamed as his heart stopped beating._

 

Cory jolted awake and heard Danny murmuring to her.  “Cory, it’s okay.  It’s just a dream.  Come on, _bella,_ wake up.  Shh, I’m here.  Come on,” he was saying as he held her in his arms, running his hand up and down her back.

 

Cory gasped as the emotion of seeing him die in her vision overwhelmed her.  She broke down, sobbing as she wrapped her arms around him, reassuring herself that he was truly alive.

 

“Cory?  Are you okay?” Danny asked her quietly.

 

Cory just shook her head.  “No.  Oh my Lord that was awful,” she said as she drew back and studied his face, assuring herself that it was all just in the vision.  She shuddered as the vision of him lying in his own blood haunted her.  “I need a drink.”

 

Danny smiled softly.  “That’s my girl.  Stay here and I’ll get some tequila.”

 

Cory just shook her head as she crawled out of the bed after him.  “No, I don’t want to let you out of my sight right now,” she admitted quietly.

 

Danny just stuck out his hand and pulled him along with her.  “Do you want to tell me about it?”

 

Cory bit her lip, knowing that she had to come clean.  “Not really, but you deserve to know,” she said as they walked into the kitchen.  She pulled the bottle of Patrón out of the fridge as Danny pulled the shot glasses out the cabinet.  Cory stayed silent as she sprinkled salt on her wrist before taking the shot and pouring herself another shot.

 

Danny watched as she slammed back the two shots back to back before setting the bottle back on the counter. Cory drew in a deep breath before she started.  “First of all, I wanted to apologize for just leaving like that.  You were right; I was way too wrapped up in Etienne and it clouded my judgment, but you were wrong, too.  This is in my nature.”

 

Danny rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I finally figured that out.  I’m sorry that I just jumped all over you.”

 

“You have nothing to apologize for, _chere._   I have been holding something back.  I didn’t want to worry you.”

 

“What about?” he asked as he leaned forward, grasping her hand lightly.

 

“I’ve been having visions again.  Terrible visions.  I had the first one a couple of months ago.  We were in Dallas for Christmas and I got a call telling me to turn on the TV.  New York, Chicago and Los Angeles had been destroyed; it looked like a nuclear holocaust.  I’m talking that pretty much the entire population of the cities was killed.  I freaked.  I ended up walking over to Taylor’s and talking it out with her.  We both agreed that I wouldn’t have had the vision if I couldn’t change it.”

 

Danny felt the blood drain from his face.  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

 

Cory shrugged.  “It broke me and I didn’t want to put that burden on you.  What I see in the visions is more often than not horrific and I wanted to spare you that pain.”

 

“You didn’t have to tell me the details, but Cory, this won’t work if we can’t talk to each other,” he admonished her gently.

 

Cory smiled wryly as she turned her hand up in his, interlocking their fingers.  “I know and I’ll try to do better.  Anyway, when I was in England, I managed to get the courage to ask Armando if Etienne was behind it.  And he said yes.  So, at least I’m obsessed for a good reason.”

 

Danny just shook his head.  “What happened tonight?”

 

“Another vision.  Of you dying,” she responded dully.

 

Danny nodded as her reaction to waking up made more sense.  “I’m here, Cory.  I don’t plan on going anywhere.”

 

“I know that, Danny.  You have to agree that neither of our jobs is safe and this vision has shaken me to the core.  I watched you die in front of me and I don’t know if I can survive something like that and stay sane.”

 

“I’ll be careful.  I promise,” Danny assured her.

 

Cory just smiled as the tequila started to catch up with her.  “Let’s go to bed.  I just need you to hold me.”

 

Danny pulled her into his arms before they turned to walk back to the bedroom.

 

\----------------------------------

 

When the pair finally crawled out of bed the following day, both were feeling much more relaxed.  Cory still had fears about her vision, but a night spent in the love of her life’s arms has taken her out of panic mode.  She was able to think more clearly about what she had seen and as with the other vision; she had a strong suspicion that Etienne was involved. 

 

She turned her head slightly and noticed that it was just after seven a.m. and groaned.  Lydia had told her that the new director wanted to meet with her at nine.  She leaned over Danny and brushed a quick kiss to his lips.  He murmured softly before opening his eyes.  “Wassup?”

 

Cory smiled as her hair made a curtain around them.  “I gotta go to work.  We have a new director and she wants to meet with me.”

 

Danny blinked a couple of time before what she said registered.  “What happened to Michaels?”

 

Cory shrugged as she sat up.  “I don’t know.  This all went down when I was out of town.  I guess I’ll get the story today, but I just didn’t want you to wake up and have me gone.”

 

“Thanks,” he said as he grabbed his glasses from the nightstand, grimacing at the time.  “Damn, I need to get up too.  I’m due in at ten.  Why don’t you take the bathroom first; I’ll make coffee.”

 

“Thanks, Danny,” Cory responded as she jumped off the bed.  “I love you.”

 

“Love you, too.”

 

\----------------------------------

 

Cory got to work with a few minutes to spare, so she stopped by her office to check her messages.  There were a few, but none of them too important to get her out of the meeting with her new boss, she discovered with disappointment.  Mentally she steeled herself and walked into to Special Agent Joyner’s office.  She greeted Shelly, the new assistant.  “Would you let Agent Joyner know that I am here, please?”

 

“Of course, Agent Reid,” the woman replied before murmuring into her phone.  “She’ll see you now.”

 

Cory drew a breath and walked into the office.  “Good morning,” she greeted the blonde agent.

 

“Agent Reid,” Kate replied in her crisp British accent.  “Please have a seat.”  Cory sank into the chair as Kate shuffled some papers in front of her before looking at the red-head intently.  “You have a very interesting record here, Agent Reid.  And I don’t mean that in a good way.”

 

Cory furrowed her brow, stunned by the attack.  “Why isn’t my record good?  I close a high percentage of cases and no one’s died,” she retorted.

 

“Yet.”

 

“Yet, what?” Cory asked in confusion.

 

Kate just gave her a look.  "Nobody’s died yet,” she calmly clarified.  “You take unnecessary risks, you jeopardize your team; you let your personal life get in the way of investigations.  It's not good reading SA Reid; in fact you make the whole department look sloppy.”

 

Cory bristled but held her temper in check.  “I am not sloppy.  I protect my team and will do what it takes to make sure that another 9/11 doesn't happen,” she returned evenly.

 

Kate just raised an eyebrow.  “Didn't your involvement with a known felon cause the death of your fiancé? Didn’t that lead to an obsession that not only endangered you but members of the NYPD and your team? It seems to me you need to become a better judge of character.  First, Ortiz and then SA Travis, you need to start pulling some serious punches.  You can’t even stop a school shooting never mind 9/11.”

 

Cory flinched at her own doubts about herself being thrown back into her face and fought for control.  “In my defense,” she said between clenched teeth, “Ortiz was not a known felon when I knew him.  I disassociated myself from him once his criminal tendencies began.  Secondly, don't lay Travis at my doorstep.  I'm the one that found out that he was a mole for Christ's sake!  I reported him, if you would read the case file directly.  And please, feel free to tell me how the hell you could have prevented the fucking school shooting with the evidence that we had?  I warned the schools!"

 

“It wasn't good enough,” Kate said, appearing nonchalant.  “You know you could have thwarted those shootings if you were more organized. Your mind’s not on the job.  It’s back in the clouds with your mother’s kidnapping. Which reminds me by the way, I'm considering putting you and your family under investigation, it seems a little coincidental that both of you have been connected to criminals in your personal lives.”

 

Cory felt her control snap in two and she jumped to her feet in her anger.  “Do not bring my mother into this, Agent Joyner,” she seethed, her voice frosty with rage.  “If you have a problem with me, that's fine, but she has nothing to do with this.  Many people have been connected to criminals without knowing it and you can not find blame with that.”  Cory leaned over the desk, her palms flat on the smooth wood.  “I promise you that if you do that, then you might find yourself under investigation.  None of my other supervisors have found me unorganized.  In fact, most have found me to be more organized than others.  And as for my mother's kidnapping and subsequent rescue, I was cleared by the department shrink--which I went to under the direction of Agent Michaels--to come back to work.”

 

Kate just shrugged.  “I don't agree with Michael’s assumption. You’re a wild card Agent Reid, one I think the FBI could do without. And just so you know I'll be keeping my eye on you.  You’re dismissed,” she said, turning her eyes back to the papers in front of her.

 

Cory walked to the door, her hands trembling with rage.  She turned before opening the door.  "Just to let you know, Agent Joyner, I will be taking a personal day.  With my feelings right now, I don't believe that my judgment is all too clear and I wouldn’t want to jeopardize any of my opens cases.  Agent Sanchez is capable of handling anything that comes up without me.  Good day.”


	34. Drunk and Disorderly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Mighty Sparrow.

 

Chapter 33.

 

** Drunk and Disorderly **

 

Mac was sitting at his desk, reviewing the case files that his team had been working.  He flipped through the files, making sure that all the I’s were dotted and the T’s crossed.  He knew that his team’s work was unshakeable, but he wanted to make sure that there was not a chance that they would lose in court, barring an extremely sympathetic jury.  Even then, he wouldn’t guarantee it.

 

As much as he tried to ignore the stack of unsolved cases on the corner of his desk, he couldn’t.  The top file beckoned him the most.  It was the school shooting.  That was the one he was consistently flipping open and trying to gather any new information that he could.  Even the Pasternak case was of a lesser priority than it—at least he had a suspect in that case. 

 

He knew it was that fact that bothered him the most.  Technically, the suspects in the case were dead, but Mac was not satisfied.  _What caused three good kids to go down this path?_   That was the reason that he didn’t close out the file as Cory had suggested.  He needed to figure out what had gone wrong.

 

The phone ringing jolted him out of those thoughts.  “Taylor,” he answered briskly.

 

 _“Detective Taylor, this is Marjorie Harring,”_ a woman’s voice answered him.

 

Mac looked at the phone in shock; he had not expected to hear from the mother of one of the shooters.  Out of all of the parents, the Harrings had taken the events of late May the hardest.  Both of them worked two minimum wage jobs, to try to give their three children the opportunities that they hadn’t had.  It had worked.  Their oldest daughter, Laquandra, had excelled in school, even winning a full scholarship to Stanford.  She would have been the first person in their family to go to college.  But someone had managed to corrupt her into committing mass murder and then committing suicide.  “How can I help you, Mrs. Harring,” he responded.

 

 _“I don’t know if this is important or not, but I was going through Quan’s things and I found her diaries.  She’s kept a diary since she learned how to write.  I flipped through the pages and I think you might need to read this,”_ the grieving mother said somberly.

 

“Do you want me to come by?” Mac asked quietly.

 

 _“If it’s not too much trouble, yes.  I’ve got about an hour before I have to leave for my night job and I’ve still got to get the kids settled,”_ she responded in gratitude.

 

Mac smiled, his heart going out to the struggling family.  “Don’t worry.  I think I can make it to Queens in thirty to forty-five minutes,” he said thoughtfully.

 

 _“Thank you, Detective.  I just hope that you can catch the monster that did this to our kids,”_ she responded with some heat in her voice.

 

“I’ll do the best I can,” Mac said gravely before hanging up his phone.  He quickly gathered the papers on his desk into some semblance of order before leaving his office.

 

True to his word, forty minutes later, he was pulling up to the old apartment building where the family lived.  He climbed up the five flights of stairs easily and soon was knocking on the faded door.

 

Mrs. Harring opened the door quickly and Mac appraised the woman.  She was rail thin and had a harried look that most people that had two jobs and kids at home acquired.  It was the look of too little sleep and too much stress.  “Detective, thank you for coming so quickly,” she said as she held out her hand.

 

Mac smiled at the woman.  “No problem,” he said, returning her handshake. 

 

“Please, come in.  I can get you something to drink?” she asked as she led him to the living room with it well worn, but much loved furniture.

 

“No, thank you.”

 

They settled side by side on the couch, in front of a box of books on the coffee table.  Mac looked at the top book, which was decorated with flowers and hearts that spelled out Quan on it.  Mrs. Harring picked it up, her hands running over the book lovingly.  “I gave her this when she went to kindergarten.  She was so proud when she wrote her first entry,” she said softly, the unshed tears glistening in her eyes.  “It became a staple present.  I got her one each year before she started school.  I told her that…” she trailed off as the tears choked her.

 

Mac patted her hand in comfort, while she struggled to get herself under control.  “I told her that it was important to put her thoughts down.  That she would be able to go back and reread them when she was an adult, to see how far she had come.”

 

“This must be very hard for you,” Mac said.

 

She nodded.  “Do you have kids?”

 

Mac shook his head.  “No.  My wife, Claire dies in 9/11.  We were never so lucky to have kids.”

 

“Parents are not supposed to outlive their kids,” she muttered as she drew a breath.  “But, that’s not why you are here.”  She gestured to the stack of books.  “These are all the diaries.  I hope that they help you catch these people.  The ones from her high school years are very disturbing.”

 

Mac nodded.  “Thank you for these.  I promise that I will get them back to you as soon as possible,” he told her, clearly seeing how much it was costing her to relive those happy moments.

 

Mrs. Harring wiped her eyes as she stood.  “I know.  Thank you for coming by, but I really need to leave for work now.”

 

Mac gathered the books and placed them in evidence bags before he followed her out of the door.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Danny’s day had been slow.  For some reason, crime seemed to be taking a small break, so he was spending the last few hours of his shift reviewing case files that were getting close to coming up in court.  He had made his way through four files before his phone rang, just after six p.m.  He glanced at the caller I.D., but didn’t recognize the number.  “Messer,” he answered.

 

_“Hey, Messer.  This is Greg from Ray’s.”_

 

“Hey, man.  How’s it going?” Danny answered wondering why the bartender was calling him.

 

 _“It’s okay, but look, man.  Cory’s here and she is plastered.  You might want to come and pick her up.  I took her keys away from her about an hour ago,”_ Greg told him.

 

“What?!” Danny exclaimed in shock.  “What happened?”

 

_“I don’t know, man, but she’s been here since eleven and has been muttering to herself in French, I think.”_

 

Danny was already standing up and shuffling the papers back into a pile.  “Thanks, Greg.  I’ll be there in twenty,” he said as he hung up the phone.  _Jesus, Cory.  What the hell is going on?_

 

On the drive to the bar, Danny racked his brain for some reason that his fiancée would be drunk in the middle of the day.  He knew that if it had been something with her family, then she would have called him.  He was at a loss as he finally pulled into a parking spot close to the bar.  When he walked in, he walked over to the bar, nodding to good looking blonde bartender as he walked up.  He leaned on the bar and waited for him to get through serving the two people at the bar.  “Hey, man.  Thanks for calling.”

 

Greg smiled.  Cory was one of his favorite customers, since she rarely got drunk and always tipped well.  “No problem,” he responded as he reached under the bar and grabbed Cory’s keys.  “I don’t know what happened, but it must be bad.  I’ve never seen her drink so much.”

 

Danny looked at him, dreading asking the next question.  “How much?”

 

“Enough that I don’t think she can stand on her own,” he said before pointing to one of the booths, half hidden in the back.  “She’s been there for the last couple of hours.”  He handed Danny a credit card.  “I’ve tabbed her out and managed to get her to sign it, but I thought that I might give it to you for safe keeping.”

 

Danny nodded his head as he accepted the small piece of plastic before beginning to walk towards the booth.  When he rounded the corner, so he could see her, he was startled at her appearance.  She had pulled all of the pins out of her hair and the long auburn tresses were a cloud around her.  A pile of napkins sat shredded in front of her and she was gripping her glass so hard that her knuckles were white.  He settled next to her.  “ _Bella?_   You okay?” he asked her quietly.

 

Cory’s head shot up and her vision swam a moment.  “Danny?  Why are there two of you?” she returned, her words slurring.

 

Danny chuckled deep in his throat as he tugged her into an upright position, where she swayed slightly.  “Come on, sweetheart.  Let’s get you home.”

 

“Home,” she cooed.  “Good.  Take me drunk, I’m home, Danny.”

 

Danny wrapped his arm around her and carefully walked her towards the door and his SUV.  Once he’d gotten her in the car, seatbelt on, he climbed in beside her.  He glanced at her as he started to truck.  They didn’t talk on the way home; Cory seemed to be lost in her own world.

 

Danny let her stay in her cocoon until he had gotten her situated on the couch.  He pushed back the coffee table a bit and squatted in front of her, pushing her hair behind her ears.  “What happened, babe?  You’ve never drunk this much before,” he said quietly.

 

Cory blinked a few times, seemingly groping for words.  “Stupid British bitch with a shovel stuck up her ass,” she said scathingly.

 

Danny furrowed his brow, searching him memory for anyone who matched that description.  “Cory?  You’re going to have to do better than that.  Who are you talking about?”

 

“My wonderful new boss,” she said, sarcasm lacing her voice.  “That bitch.”

 

“What did she do?”

 

“She wants to put my family under surveillance because she thinks I’m loose cannon.”

 

Danny looked at her in confusion.  “Huh?”

 

Cory’s cheeks flushed as her anger began to boil again.  “That’s right.  Apparently, she thinks that I’m unorganized, put my people in danger and have too many associations with criminals.”  Danny stared at her, flabbergasted.  “Oh, and to top it all off, apparently, I’m so ineffectual that I can’t stop a fucking school shooting, much less the next 9/11.”

 

Danny sucked in a breath.  He knew how much that must have hurt her, considering the visions that she had been having.  The visions that were telling her that another 9/11 was coming and it was going to be worse than anyone could have imagined.  He felt his own anger rising as tears filled her eyes. 

 

“God, Danny.  I think she’s right!  I’ve gotten so wrapped up in the big picture, of trying to catch Etienne that I’ve let everything else fall by the wayside,” she whispered as she dissolved into tears.

 

Danny quickly moved to the couch and gathered her into his arms.  “Shh, _bella._   The school shootings were not your fault and The Powers would not be sending those visions to you if you couldn’t stop it.  Don’t beat yourself up.  She is dead wrong,” he consoled her.  He could do nothing more than rock her back and forth, until he realized that she had passed out.

 

Fuming at the unknown woman, he gently lifted her up so he could take her to bed.

 

 


	35. Let it Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Cavo (from the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen soundtrack).

Chapter 34.

 

** Let it Go **

 

Mac was sitting at his desk; he had just finished reading the early diaries of Laquandra Harring.  He had smiled as he read her childhood dreams.  She had wanted to be a lawyer—a defense lawyer to be exact.  She had been on her way.  The diary that he had just finished reading was from the eighth grade.  She had been fully realizing what she needed to do to make her dreams come true.  She had been excited about the upcoming school year where she was going to be taking some leadership courses, a perk allotted to her since she had a perfect 4.0 GPA.  The school recognized the fact that she wanted to make something of her life and a very astute teacher was trying to make that happen.

 

When he began to read the diary from her freshman year, Mac noticed that it began in the same tone as the previous diary.  She was understandably excited about starting high school.  In October, her guidance counselor advised her that community service would make a huge difference when applying to colleges, so she decided to volunteer at a homeless shelter in her neighborhood.

 

Mac noticed a change in tone around the end of October.  Laquandra had been volunteering in the shelter for a couple of weeks when she met a man by the name of Tang Lan.  Her diary revealed the fact that she had felt a connection to him.  He had a similar background to her, oldest of three children with parents that worked two jobs each to support their family.  She had begun to talk with him.  At first, Mac noticed, she was just concerned about his mental state.  He was irrational at some points, showing a deep hate for the government.  He blamed the government for his current state of unemployment.  As Laquandra wrote, _“Tang seems to blame the federal government for taking his job away.  I’ve talked with him about it and discovered that his job was outsourced overseas.  He was the only working to support his wife, children and his parents.”_

 

It seemed like the closer that Laquandra got to Tang, the angrier she got at the government as well.  But, with that anger came a sense of purpose as well.  She made it her priority to help Tang find a job. 

 

Mac had to admit, she was brilliant.  She had organized what scant resources the shelter offered and by Christmastime, Tang had gotten a job at the Port Authority.  Mac smiled at the childish enthusiasm that had permeated that entry in the diary.  It made him realize that she was in fact just a child, not the semi-adult that she had been acting as.  Her diary calmed down somewhat from that point.  She kept in contact with Tang, but since he was employed, they did not see each other anymore and she began to revert back to her sunny outlook on life.

 

Sighing, thinking that he was running down a dead end, he almost missed one of the final entries.  She was talking about how she was going to a school sponsored leadership seminar in upstate New York.  That peaked his interest again, since they had hypothesized that the seminars were how Etienne had contacted the students.  With a renewed vigor, he began to read again.

 

\----------------------------------

 

When Cory awoke, she felt like there was a jackhammer in her head, trying to get out.  She groaned softly as she opened her eyes, grateful that it was still dark outside.  She wondered briefly how she had gotten home, but her fuzzy memories of the previous night finally produced a picture of Danny kneeling before her in Ray’s.   She groaned again, a little louder this time, as she rolled over in Danny’s arms to look at the clock.  Three a.m.

 

She sighed as her mind began to work and she knew that she would not be going back to sleep anytime soon.  She rolled back over, to lie on her back, still cradled in Danny’s arms, his closeness giving her comfort.  Wincing as her head began to pound again; she realized that she was well and truly hung over.  _Huh, this is an experience,_ she thought.  _I wonder if I can make it to the bathroom to get some ibuprofen._

 

Before she could make her thought into reality, Danny shifted beside her, tightening his told.  “You okay,” he murmured, his voice gravelly with sleep.

 

“Other than the jackhammer in my brain?” she whispered back.  “I’m fine.  Feeling a bit stupid at the moment.”

 

Danny chuckled.  “That comes with being plastered, Cor,” he told her as he sat up.  “Be right back.”

 

Cory looked at him, his face visible in the moonlight.  “What?”

 

Danny just smiled as he went into the bathroom.  Cory shut her eyes as the light made her head explode in pain again.  When she felt the light go off, she opened her eyes up and found Danny beside her, a glass of water in one hand and two pills in the other.  She accepted the medication without a word and just smiled gratefully as she swallowed them.  “Thanks.”

 

Danny took the glass of water and put it on the nightstand.  “I forgot your patented cure for preventing a hangover,” he said chuckling.

 

“I was really out of it last night.  Things are kinda fuzzy,” Cory confessed.

 

“Yeah, I kinda got that,” Danny responded wryly.  “Greg said you were muttering to yourself in French.  What got you so pissed off?”  Danny deliberately didn’t tell her that she had explained part of it, wanting to know the full story.

 

“My new boss.  The British bitch,” Cory began.  As concisely as possible, she explained the full story to him.

 

Danny felt anger growing as Cory described the encounter with Kate.  He was in awe about how Cory had kept her temper in check, especially since he knew how much stress she had been under recently.  Hell, she had even snapped at him a couple of times.  “I’m impressed that you didn’t bite her head off,” he said quietly as she finished her story.

 

Cory just shook her head.  “I couldn’t. I think that she’s right.  I am way to emotionally involved with catching Etienne.  I think she’s right about that.  I’ve focused so much on him that I’ve lost focus on the big picture.”

 

Danny cupped her cheeks gently.  “Cory, you are very passionate about your work, but you could have not prevented the school shootings.  You did not have the information needed to prevent that,” he told her forcefully, staring into her eyes.  “I won’t deny that you are emotionally involved in Etienne.  How could you not be?  He tried to kill your mother!  But you are a good agent; you are not disorganized at all.  You are the most organized person that I know.  Don’t believe the crap that she is telling you. _Capice_?”

 

Cory felt a tear roll down from the outer corner of her eye and Danny wiped it away with his thumb.  She smiled a little.  “Yeah.  What in the hell did I do to deserve you, _mon chere_?”

 

Danny just leaned in and kissed her softly.  He moaned as she returned the kiss ardently, both reveling in the intimate contact.   Danny groaned as her hands began to move across his body, causing fire to shoot through his veins.  “God, I’ve missed you,” he murmured before lowering her to the bed to reacquaint himself with her body.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Mac laid the final diary down, shaking his head in disbelief.  He couldn’t believe the complete change in personality that Laquandra had gone under.  _How could her family not see the change?_   He knew that her parents were busy people, but unless she was really good at fooling people, they had to have seen something.  Shaking his head, he tried to wrap his mind around the case again, but was interrupted by the phone.  “Taylor,” he answered.

 

 _“Mac?  Did you really just spend the entire night at the lab again?”_ Stella’s amused voice asked him.

 

Mac glanced at the clock, amazed to find that it was after seven a.m.  “I guess I did,” he answered in amusement.  “Sorry, Stel.  I really didn’t think that I’ve been here that long.”

 

Stella just laughed.  _“That’s okay.  I understand, really I do.  This case is bothering you and you’re just trying to figure it out.  I’ll bring breakfast.”_

 

“Thanks, Stel,” he said in gratitude before hanging up the phone.  He looked down at the notepad that he had been writing on.  It was filled with interesting bits of information.  Most importantly, two names.  Two names that he knew had to be important to solving the case.  Tang Lan and Fredrico Martelli.  Fredrico was the one that Laquandra had mentioned meeting at the leadership seminar and from her writings she seemed to look up to him. 

 

Deciding to let his thoughts simmer, he stood up and stretched out his muscles.  He decided to take a shower and change before relieving the night shift supervisor and catching up on his cases.  He made a mental note to call Cory and see if either she or Lydia had some insight into exactly who these two men could possibly be.

 

\----------------------------------

 

By the time Cory had gotten to work, her headache was a memory.  After her talk with Danny, she had felt her emotions calm down enough to logically analyze the information that Kate had given her.  She knew that she was going to have to prove herself to the Brit, but she was confident that she could handle the task.  On her way in, after picking up her car from Ray’s, she had taken a step back and realized that she had overlooked some pretty damning evidence.  

 

She was still mentally slapping herself upside the head when she walked into the office.  “Lydia?  Can you come into my office, please,” she asked pleasantly, all trace of the emotional wreck she had been gone.

 

Lydia glanced at Cory, not knowing what was going on, and nodded.  “Give me a sec and I’m all yours,” she said with a smile.

 

Cory smiled as she walked her office and sat down.  She started her computer and was just pulling up her research when Lydia walked in with a concerned look on her face.

 

“Okay, Cory,” the other woman started.  “When you left yesterday, you were beyond upset.  I’ve never seen you so mad.  What happened?”

 

Cory shrugged.  “I had a long talk with Danny, and I think that I’ve overlooked something.  Remember a couple of months ago I was tracking the gang activity?”  Lydia nodded.  “Well, I totally forgot all about that with everything that has gone on.  I was thinking this morning and that popped into my head.  Everything that I’ve learned about Etienne points to the fact that he wants to plan a massive attack.  What better way than to try to gain control of all the gangs?”

 

Lydia sat back.  “You’re right.  On both counts.  If you want to gain a foothold, you have to get the locals on your side.”

 

“Exactly.  I think that is what Etienne is doing.  Luke mentioned that he is a little OCD.  He likes to test run things.  Three times before the actual attack.  And he has to have a local base.  Flying in that many people would raise red flags.”

 

Lydia nodded while she made notes.  “Why don’t I get with the other field offices and see if anyone else has seen the kind of numbers we have?”

 

“While you do that, I’m going to make sure that Luke is settled in to his new home, at least for now,” Cory continued.  She picked up the phone as Lydia exited the room and quickly called Sing Sing.  Happily, she learned that he was settling in fine in solitary confinement, so she let the warden know when she planned on coming to interview him some more.  As soon as she hung up the phone, it rang again.  “Reid,” she answered.

 

_“Hey, Cory.  It’s Mac.  Good to have you back in the country.”_

 

Cory smiled.  “It’s good to be back in the country,” she returned.  “What can I do for you?”

 

 _“The mother of one of the school shooters found her diaries.  I’ve just finished reading them and wanted to know if you recognize either of these names.  Tang Lan or Fredrico Martelli,”_ Mac asked.

 

Cory almost jumped in shock.  “I actually know both of them,” she said in surprise.  “Tang Lan was someone that Lydia and I interviewed in connection to the shooting case, but couldn’t get any evidence on him.  And Fredrico Martelli is an alias of Etienne.”

 

 _“Really,”_ Mac stated dryly.  _“Then you might want to take a look at this.  Maybe with this information we can make a case.  I’m going to go pick Tang up for questioning.  Would you like to join me?”_

 

Cory thought carefully about it.  “As much I’d like to, I’ve got some things up in the air at the moment.  Maybe I can be at the questioning.  I only want to observe, though.  If I didn’t get anything out of him before, I don’t think that I’ll get anything out of him now.”

 

 _“I can arrange that.  I’ll let you know when we pick him up.  Then you can meet me at the station for the questioning,”_ Mac assured her.

 

“Okay.  Thanks, Mac.  I’ll talk to you soon,” Cory told him.  Once she had hung up, she realized that she was making a step in the right direction.  _After all, the success of a leader is determined by how well she delegates,_ she thought with a smile.


	36. Butting Heads

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Sick of It All.

 

Chapter 35.

 

** Butting Heads **

 

Cory had made some headway into her research by early afternoon.  She sat back in her chair, stretching her muscles, letting the strain of the previous four hours ease out of her shoulders.  _I was right,_ she thought with a smile.  _While gang violence has increased over the last year, the inter-gang violence has almost dissipated.  I’ve never seen anything like this and I wonder if L.A. and Chicago have experienced the same thing._   She itched to call those field offices, but knew that Lydia was taking care of that information. 

 

She was brought out of her musings by a knock on her door and when she looked up, her heart plummeted.  Agent Joyner was walking in, a sour look on her face.  The blonde woman closed the door behind her before settling into a chair in front of her desk.  Cory steeled herself for whatever the woman had to speak with her about.

 

“Agent Reid,” Kate began.  “I have been reviewing your files and have a couple of questions.”

 

Cory squared her shoulders, but fixed a pleasant smile on her face.  “How can I help you?”

 

“Why have you transferred a prisoner from InterPol to the FBI?”

 

“Because he has valuable information that I need to uncover the exact plot of a man named Etienne,” Cory answered readily.

 

“And what brought this man to your attention,” Kate questioned back.

 

Cory let out a breath.  “He came to my attention when my mother was kidnapped by Javier Montoya.  When she was being help captive on his boat, Etienne was present.  He set about in questioning her, using torture to extract information about me and my duties here at the FBI.  She had no reason why and the only thing that he would say was that I was the key to the destruction of the United States.”

 

Kate raised an eyebrow.  “Interesting.  Please continue.”

 

Feeling a bit of encouragement, Cory nodded.  “There is not much more than that.  Through my investigation and help from a contact at InterPol, I discovered that his real name is Boleslav Kladivo.  He is a former KGB agent who was recruited by InterPol and then went rogue.  All I know is that he is focused on me and I don’t know why.”

 

Kate nodded.  “Could it be because of you and your family’s association with known criminals?” she asked scathingly.  “I don’t like the fact that we are now housing one of Rwanda’s most wanted criminals?  Why not just let InterPol handle this?”

 

Cory cocked an eyebrow, but refused to rise to the bait.  “Because I believe that Etienne is planning an attack on us.  He wants to destroy us because he has a faulty belief that the CIA killed his parents.  He has knowledge of us, he has a hatred of us, and I believe has access to resources that we know nothing about.  If I had more evidence, I would have him put on the Most Wanted list,” she shot back calmly.

 

“I see,” Kate drawled as she tapped her list.  “Doesn’t this lack of evidence lead you to believe that he is not as dangerous as you suppose?  You are a loose cannon, Agent Reid, and from looking at your records, I don’t believe that you are truly capable of handling an investigation of this magnitude.  You depend too much on the resources of the NYPD.  I see many more cases that are joint investigations than any other agent.  Why is that?  Does it have something to do with your fiancé?”

 

Cory ground her teeth.  “It has little to do with my _fiancé_ ,” she spat out.  “It has to do with the fact that the NYPD crime lab is second to none.  Not even the FBI has analysts that have the level of professionalism and drive that the NYPD has.  Most of those cases are cases that they bring to me, not the other way around.  If you would read the entire case file, you would see that.”

 

“None the less, you depend on them too much, thus that leads me to believe that you are not capable.”

 

Cory’s fiery response was cut off by the ringing phone.  “Reid?” she all but growled into the phone.

 

 _“Cory?  It’s Mac.  I’ve got Tang in custody.  You want to watch the interview?”_ Mac questioned, wondering what had put the force behind her words.

 

Cory closed her eyes briefly.  “I’ll be there soon,” she told him before hanging up the phone.  She returned her attention back to her boss.  “Look, Agent Joyner.  Either let me do my job or demote me.  You have no reason to question my cases.  You have no hard evidence and unless you are going to bestow the same line of inquiry to the other Special Agents in Charge to justify their actions, then I am not going to play that game,” she said icily as she stood up and grabbed her gear.  “Now if you will excuse me, I have some business to attend to in hopes of unraveling the weapons smuggling case.  Good day,” she finished as she walked out of the door, unaware of the broad smile that crossed Kate’s face.

 

\----------------------------------

 

After Mac hung up the phone, he shook his head.  He didn’t envy the young FBI agent.  He knew the stresses that came with a position of her power and wondered if she was able to handle the stress.  Lord only knew what her breaking point was and he hoped that she would never have to find it.  He thought back to his own breaking point.  September 11.  The day the city stood still.  He still didn’t remember his feelings during that time.  He had shut down emotionally.  Once he had realized that Claire was more than likely dead, he had shut that part of himself down completely.

 

It was only in the last few years that he had begum to open himself back up.  He had Stella to thank for that.  It was because of her love and care that he felt his heart open back up.  Shaking his head, he brought himself back into the present as Danny knocked on his door. 

 

“You wanted to see me, boss?” the bespectacled man asked.

 

“Danny,” Mac responded with a smile.  “You closed your case with Maka?”

 

Danny nodded.  “Yeah, it was a simple gang initiation.   She arrested the kid, he was only thirteen,” he responded, shaking his head.

 

“Good.  I want you to help me interrogate Tang Lan.  We’ll start when Cory gets here.”

 

Danny looked at Mac in confusion.  “What’s the deal with him?” he asked.

 

Mac looked at him.  “He is mentioned in the diaries that Mrs. Harring gave me.  I have a feeling that he knows more about where the school shooters got their weapons than he’s admitted to Cory.  She wanted to watch the interrogation, but didn’t want to take part since she didn’t get any evidence from him when she first found the connection.  I want you to do some research on him.”

 

“You got it, boss,” Danny responded.  “I’ll be ready when you are.”

 

Mac just waved the young man out of his office as he resumed looking at the paperwork in front of him.  He was still engrossed in the case file as he heard the sound of heels clicking towards him.  He looked up to see Cory striding through the lab, her head held high.  He had a small smile on his face as she entered his office.

 

“Hey, Mac.  I’m ready when you are,” she said pleasantly. 

 

Mac gave her a look.  Her tone now was completely different than it was on the phone, but she didn’t seem inclined to share, so he let it go.  “Let me grab Danny and we’ll go over there.”

 

Cory nodded as she flicked open the briefcase at her side.  “I don’t know if you plan on asking him anything about Etienne, but I brought his dossier with me.  Just in case you want some ammo to go after him with.” 

 

Mac noticed the twinkle in her eyes.  “I’ll see what I can get,” he replied as he accepted the dossier from her.  It was a quick walk to the interrogation room, where Tang had been cooling his heels for the previous two hours.  As Mac and Danny walked in, Mac threw two file folders on the metal table.

 

Tang looked at them in anger.  “This is ridiculous.  Why are you holding me here?” he said angrily.

 

Mac raised an eyebrow.  “I never said that you were a prisoner.  I said that I wanted to speak with you in regards to Laquandra Harring.  You are free to leave at any time,” he responded calmly.

 

Tang let out a sigh as he stood up.  “Then I will be going.  You’ve taken enough of my time.”

 

Mac let him get close to the door before speaking again.  “But, of course, then I’m going to have to speak with your supervisors about your connection with a group of school shooters who got their hands on military grade weapons that are connected to a smuggling ring running out of Port Authority.”

 

Tang stopped in his tracks, a look of fear in his eyes, before returning to his seat.  “Ask your questions,” he returned simply.

 

“How well did you know Laquandra Harring?” Mac began.

 

Tang shrugged.  “Nice girl.  She helped me get my job.  I was down on my luck after my previous job was outsourced and at a loss for what to do.”

 

Mac raised an eyebrow at that.  “You see, that’s where I have a problem with your story.  One that was easily accepted by a naïve teenager.  She wrote that you were working to support your wife, family and your parents.  But if so, why were you the only one in homeless shelter?”

 

“And,” Danny put in, “how come we have no records of you ever being married?”

 

Tang’s eyes opened wide, but he didn’t respond.

 

“You see Tang, that’s where I have a problem,” Mac said.  “You give the girl a fake story, and then miraculously come up with a job less then two months into a job hunt, in an economy that is floundering.  It doesn’t make sense.  So, why lie?”

 

“Um…” Tang began, but couldn’t seem to form any words.  Cory was smirking from behind the glass, watching in wonder as Mac and Danny tore the man’s story down to nothing.

 

“You know, Tang,” Danny said conversationally.  “You’re not the brightest crayon in the box.  You might as well come clean and tell us everything you know.”

 

Tang stared at the two men, hoping for some sort of relief, but finding nothing but stoniness in their faces, he finally cracked.  “It was a set up.  My boss told me that there was going to be a girl at that specific homeless shelter and he wanted me to befriend her.  Where he got the information about her, I have no idea, but he created a background for me.  I stuck to the script.  Telling her over and over about how bad the government was.  How it was responsible for my downfall.  And she fell for it.  Hook, line and sinker.”

 

Mac nodded his head.  “What part did Fredrico Martelli play in this?”

 

Neither Mac, Danny nor Cory had expected the look for pure terror that crossed Tang’s face at the sound of the name.  They stared at the man in shock as he literally quaked with terror.  “I do not know,” he almost whispered.  “The man who brought me in would know more.  His name is Jay Roze.  He is an inspector at JFK.”  With that, he clamed up and no amount of questioning from Danny or Mac could get him to say anything else.

 

Sighing, the men walked out of the room and met up with Cory, who was looking puzzled.  “He’s terrified of Etienne,” she said without preamble.  “I wonder why.”

 

“I don’t know,” Mac responded.  “But I think that we need to talk to this Jay Roze guy.”

 

Cory smiled.  “I took the liberty of pulling up his information while y’all were trying to get him to talk more,” she said.  “I also called JFK and was told that he was not working today, so I thought we could start at his home.”

 

Mac raised an eyebrow.  “You were certainly busy.”

 

Cory laughed.  “More like eager to get this thing closed.  It’s been a thorn in my side for too long.”  She looked at them both, a twinkle back in her eye.  “So, who’s driving?”

 

\----------------------------------

 

An hour and a half later, Mac, Cory, and Danny were stepping out of Mac’s lab SUV in front of a well maintained brownstone in Brooklyn.  Cory pushed her sunglasses back on top of her head.  “Nice,” she murmured.  “Definitely not what I’d expected.  I figured that if he is as in deep with Etienne as I think that he’d live in something a little more auspicious.”

 

“Unless he’s trying to stay under the radar,” Danny interjected.  “I know that if I wanted to hide what I was doing, then I’d definitely look like I was living within my means to the rest of the world.”

 

“Good point,” Cory responded as they walked up the steps to the door.  She paused and stood to the side as Mac knocked on the door, only to have it open as he connected with the painted wood.

 

The three exchanged looks as they drew their guns.  Mac nodded to Cory to take the lead and she eased the door fully open with her foot.  She went in first, Mac and Danny following after her.  Together, they cleared the downstairs and met at the staircase to go upstairs.  Cory climbed up the stairs carefully, her heels making no sound on the thick pile of carpet that covered them. 

 

When they got to the top of the stairs, Cory and Mac looked down the hall, Danny a scant step behind them.  Cory noticed one of the doors slightly ajar at the end of the hall.  She made a motion with her hand and Mac nodded his agreement, so they began to creep down the dim hallway.

 

Danny walked sideways, his back to the wall, checking behind them to make sure that it wasn’t a trap.  Cory slowed down as they neared the open door and motioned for Mac to precede her, to flank the door.  Once they were in place, Mac opened the door and they both peered inside.

 

Cory stifled a gasp of horror at what lay in wait for them.  It was the body of a medium built black man, lying on his stomach in a pool of blood.  Blood and brain matter decorated the wall in front of him, the back of his skull blown away.  She, Mac and Danny shared a look, knowing that they needed to clear the rest of the house, to make sure that whoever had done this was not still in the dwelling.

 

Quickly, the three of them cleared the other rooms before coming back to what must have been the master bedroom, holstering their weapons.  “This was a professional.  The positioning of the body tells me that.  He was on his knees when he was shot in the back of the head,” Mac surmised.

 

Cory shook her head.  “They’re tying up loose ends,” she stated sharply.  “I think that Tang knows more than he’s let on, so we need to get him into protective custody.”

 

Danny could almost see the wheels turning in her brain.  “Whatcha thinking, Cory?” he asked her.

 

“WITSEC,” she replied, using the acronym for the witness protection program.

 

Mac nodded.  “Makes sense.  Think you can get it done?  There is a whole lotta red tape to get someone in there.”

 

Cory just smiled.  “With the right information, I can have him in the middle of nowhere so fast that it’ll be just a blur.”  She turned to leave the room.  “While y’all are processing the scene, I’ll make Tang wish he had told me everything the first time I talked to him,” she promised as she walked down the hall.


	37. Dance with the Devil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Aphina and Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Breaking Benjamin.

Chapter 36.

 

** Dance with the Devil **

 

By the time Cory had made it back to the lab, she had a game plan on how she was going to confront Tang.  When she walked into the room, making him jump a little, she threw a file folder on table, so that it skidded halfway across it.  “You know, Tang,” she drawled.  “I really thought you were smarter than this.”

 

Tang looked at her in surprise.  Gone was the gentile Southern agent that had interviewed him previously and in place was an agent that clearly was not going to accept the answers that he was prepared to give.  “Agent Reid,” he responded, trying to buy some time.  “How nice to see you again.”

 

Cory rolled her eyes as his eyes roamed over her.  “Hey, my eyes are up here,” she retorted.  “Now, I’m going to give you one chance to come clean.  One chance only.  Tell me how the smuggling ring works.”  Cory settled at the table in front of him, leaning back in her chair seemingly without a care in the world.

 

“And why should I do that?  That would be like signing my own death warrant.”

 

Cory smirked.  “Ah, but your death warrant has already been signed.  Whomever you work for is tying up loose ends.  And I can see by the lack of surprise in your expression, you already knew that.  Jay Roze is dead and my guess is that we perhaps interrupted you fleeing town.”

 

“I’m not telling you anything,” Tang retorted.  “And you haven’t got anything on me that will stick.”

 

Cory’s smirk grew wider.  “Fine.  You’re free to go, but don’t think that this little visit to the NYPD has gone unnoticed by your employers.  My guess is that you’ll be dead before you even make it home,” she stated calmly as she gathered her papers and turned to walk out the door. 

 

She had opened the door and was halfway out before Tang’s hoarse voice interrupted her, “Wait.”

 

She turned around with an eyebrow cocked.  “Yes?”

 

“Do you really think that I’m next?” he asked her.

 

Cory nodded.  “Yes, I do.  I can help you, if you help me.”

 

Tang seemed to be weighing his options.  “Fine.  I’ll tell you all I know.  Where do you want me to start?”

 

Cory settled back in her chair.  “How about from the beginning?  How did you get mixed up in this?”

 

Tang sighed.  “It was about five years ago when I first met Jay Roze.  I had a job down on the docks and he approached me.  Asked if I wanted to make some serious dough.”  He shrugged.  “I had some….outstanding loans and really needed the cash, so I said yes.”

 

Cory tapped her finger on the table lightly.  “What did he have you do?”

 

“At first, I was just making deliveries.  Taking small packages to different parts in the city.  Then, four years ago it all changed.  That’s when _he_ showed up.”

 

Cory furrowed her brows.  “Who?  Fredrico Martelli?” Cory hazarded.  She could see the fear race through his body as she said the name.

 

Tang nodded.  “Yeah.  He just showed up one day.  Said that if we knew what was good for us then we’d join him and his organization.”

 

“What’s the name of his organization?” Cory queried softly, grabbing a pen to make notes.

 

“That’s just it.  There is no name.  We just called it “The Organization.”  We laughed at him.  We didn’t believe that he had any kind of power.”

 

“What changed that?”

 

“He killed our boss.  Andre Lucio.  In his home, surrounded by bodyguards and no one saw anything,” Tang recounted with a shudder.  “He made believers out of us.”

 

Cory nodded.  What he was telling her was matching up with all she had learned about Etienne so far.  “So I take it y’all joined up with him.”

 

“What other choice did we have?”

 

“So, how did y’all change?”

 

“Didn’t really change much at the beginning.  I was still a delivery boy for a few months.”  He paused as he gathered his thoughts.  “It was after that it all changed.  Jay came to me and said he had another assignment for me.  He wanted me to recruit a young woman, but I couldn’t let her know what was going on.  He said he wanted me to make her hate the government.”

 

“Laquandra Harring,” Cory stated.

 

“Yeah.  I was just there to plant the seeds, though.  I had no idea of what they had planned for her.”

 

Cory thought for a moment, consulting the notes that she had made.  “What about the other school shooters.  Did you recruit them as well?”

 

Tang shook his head.  “No, not at all.  I only had touch with Quan.  They got other people to do their dirty work there.”

 

 _Alejo Espino and Nnamdi Boateng,_ Cory thought to herself.  “So why weapons smuggling?”

 

“That’s what Fredrico wanted.  He said that with people in the right place, it would be pathetically easy to get anything through customs.”

 

Cory sighed.  “I won’t disagree with you there,” she said wryly.  “Do you know the ultimate plan?”

 

Tang shook his head in regret.  “No.  I’m just a grunt.”  He looked thoughtful.  “I can tell you this.  If anyone would know, it’d be Maurice Sadowski.  He’s an inspector in Brooklyn.”

 

Cory nodded.  “Okay.  I’m going to keep you here, to keep you safe until I can arrange for a safe house.  You okay with that?”  Tang nodded at her as she gathered up all the notes that she’d made.  “Good.  I’ll have more questions for you, but I’ll see that you get something to eat and drink right now,” she said as she walked out of the door, hoping that Danny and Mac would be back soon.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Hawkes was smiling as Carla was telling him another story of about coming to work with her mom.  “So, was coming to work with your mom the reason you decided to get into nursing?” he queried as she took a bite of her salad.  He had barely touched his pasta because he was so engrossed in watching the way the light was playing over her skin.

 

Carla nodded.  “Yeah, it was.  She really instilled into me a desire to help people.  What about you?  Did your dad influence you?”

 

Hawkes opened his mouth to answer as his phone rang.  He unclipped it from his belt, knowing that even though he was off, it was more than likely the lab.  With Lindsay out on maternity leave, they were beyond short handed.  “Hawkes?”

 

_“Hey, Hawkes.  It’s Danny.  Look man, I’m sorry to call you in, but we need you at a scene.  Let me give you the address.”_

 

Hawkes looked at Carla in regret as he jotted down the address.  “Okay.  I’ll be there in a bit.  It’s not too far from where I’m at right now,” he said as he disconnected the call.

 

Carla held up her as he started to apologize.  “Don’t apologize.  Go catch the bad guy, Sheldon.  I know you have an important job.”

 

Hawkes looked at her in gratitude.  “Thank you.  I promise that I’ll make it up to you,” he said as he threw some money on the table to cover the lunch.  He stopped a moment by her chair before stooping down and placing a kiss on her cheek.  “I’ll call you tonight if I’m not out too late.”

 

Carla laughed as she looked up at him.  “I’m on the night shift tomorrow, so I’ll be up late.” 

 

“Okay,” Hawkes responded as he strode out of the small café. 

 

True to his word, barely fifteen minutes had passed before he was walking into the brownstone.  “Danny?”

 

“Up here!” Danny responded.

 

Hawkes followed his voice upstairs and into the bedroom.  “Wow,” he uttered as he surveyed the scene.  “Haven’t seen a professional hit in a while.  Any idea of who this guy was mixed up with?” he questioned the sandy-haired detective who was taking swabs of the various pools of blood.

 

Danny looked up as he capped off the latest swab he was using.  “Etienne,” he responded.  “I’m on biologicals, Mac’s fingerprinting the whole place and he wants you to take the body.”

 

Hawkes analyzed the scene in front of him.  “Well, I’ll hazard a guess and say that COD is a gunshot wound to the back of the head,” he said dryly.

 

Danny chuckled.  “Even I could tell that.”

 

Hawkes smiled.  “Maybe I can at least get you an approximate time of death,” he said as he extracted a thermometer from his case and stuck in the corpse.  He checked the liver temp; it was around eighty-nine degrees.  “TOD is approximately six hours ago,” he told Danny.

 

“That would have been about the time that I picked up Tang Lan,” Mac said from the doorframe.  “Glad you could make it, Sheldon.  Coroner’s van is out front if we want to move him.”

 

Hawkes nodded as he pulled out his camera.  “Let me document the body first.”  He quickly took photographs and then proceeded to place the victim’s hands in paper bags, trying to preserve the evidence before placing him into the body bag.

 

Mac nodded as he turned to Danny.  “I pulled some prints from the front door, so hopefully our guys were sloppy and didn’t wear gloves.”  Danny just snorted in response.  “I know,” Mac continued.  “It’s a long shot.  Hopefully, they left the bullet though.”

 

He stood behind where the body had been lying and mimicked shooting someone execution style.  “If the bullet is not in the body, then it’s probably on the floor in front of him.  Hawkes?  Any sign that the body was moved post mortem?”

 

“Not from what I could tell, boss, but if it was done before the blood settled then I couldn’t tell from just this external exam,” the doctor replied.

 

Mac nodded his understanding as he began to print the bedroom.

 

After Hawkes had removed the body, Danny began to examine the blood covered floor.  He shined is flashlight on the dark wood, hoping that he would find something, but nothing was out of the ordinary.  Sighing, he settled back and as he did, the light from his flashlight bounced off of something under the bed.  Careful of the blood, he moved to the bed and peered under.  “Boom,” he muttered softly as he picked up the camera to take a picture.

 

“What’d you find?” Mac asked him from across the room.

 

“A bullet.  But it’s not the bullet that killed our vic,” Danny responded as he reached under the bed to grab the bullet.  “Mac, I think this is a .480.”  At Mac’s confused look he continued, “The restaurant case?  The one that started the whole weapons smuggling case.  It’s the type of bullet that was used to kill one of the vics.”

 

Mac walked over and gazed at the bullet being held between Danny’s thumb and index finger.  “It has striations on it,” he observed.  “But the bullet is in pristine condition.”

 

“That can only be achieved by test firing the bullet like we do in the lab.  Either into water or into a gel,” Danny reasoned.

 

Mac shook his head.  “We need to get this back to the lab and hope that the bullet is still in the body.  I don’t want this to be a red herring.”

 

Danny was silent as he bagged the evidence.  _I never fully understood why Cory was so obsessed with Etienne.  Now I think I do get it.  He is one crazy bastard and the sooner that we catch him the better._


	38. Click, Click, Boom!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Axellia for the beta. I don’t own the chapter title either. That belongs to Saliva.

 

Chapter 37.

 

** Click, Click, Boom! **

 

When Danny, Mac and Hawkes arrived back at the lab, they found Cory sitting in the break room, writing on a notepad.  Mac nodded to her.  “So, I take it that your interrogation went well?” he hazarded as she paused in her frantic writing.

 

Cory glanced up before smiling.  “You could say that.  I’ve got a name of someone that was higher up on the food chain than Jay Roze.  Anything interesting at the scene?” she questioned.

 

Danny answered her, “How about a bullet that was in pristine condition with striations on it?”

 

Cory’s eyes widened.  “Wow.  That’s definitely interesting and surprisingly enough something that Etienne would do.  He’s always taunting me, so it makes sense.”  She turned to Mac.  “Mac?  Since Flack is out on paternity leave, do you know who I can take with me to go question my new suspect?  Since this started out as a joint case, I’m willing to keep it that way, in spite of what my new boss says.”

 

Danny choked on a laugh, while Mac just raised an eyebrow.  “Why don’t you take Angell?  She was with us on the school shooting, so she’ll be in the loop.”

 

Cory nodded as she picked up her notepad.  “On that note, then I’m off.  I’ll call you if we get any interesting information.”

 

\----------------------------------

 

When Cory walked into the station house, she deftly wove her way through the multitude of cops and suspects in handcuffs.  It only took her a moment to arrive at Angell’s desk, which looked like it had been buried under an avalanche of paperwork.  “Jess?” she asked as she looked at the dark-haired detective scribbling madly on a notepad.  “You okay?”

 

Angell looked up and smiled.  “I’m fine.  Overworked and underpaid…I swear Flack owes me for doing all of his paperwork.”

 

Cory laughed.  “Just don’t let him try and weasel out of it.  You wanna break?”

 

“What did you have in mind?” Angell returned.

 

“Got a lead on the weapons smuggling-school shooting case.  I’m about to go interview a new suspect.”

 

Angell’s eyes lit up.  “Of course!”

 

“Meet me at my SUV in five.  I’m going to change out of my pumps,” Cory said as she pointed to the pointy-toed heels she was wearing.  “They are not conductive to chasing down a suspect if he decides to run.”

 

Angell grinned wryly as she nodded and bent her head to complete out her thought.  It would give her enough time to attempt to tidy up her desk, even though she knew that it would be a mess until Flack got back from leave.

 

It took almost an hour to arrive at the brownstone.  Cory had filled Angell in on the case while they were stuck in traffic and once they exited the vehicle, both women stretched out their muscles.  Cory looked at Angell before opening the trunk.  “I think we need vests on this one.  I don’t know why,” Cory cautioned.

 

Angell nodded her head.  “With how this case has been, I understand,” she replied as she strapped the vest into place.  Once the vest as settled, she joined Cory, who was making sure that the laces on her boots were tied tightly.

 

When they got to the door of the apartment, both women unhooked the strap over their gun as a precaution.  Angell nodded to Cory, who knocked on the door.  “Maurice Sadowski.  FBI.  We have a few questions for you,” she called through the door.  There were a few seconds of silence and then the unmistakable crashing of someone going out a window.  “Why do they always run?” Cory quipped as she tried the door and found to her surprise that it was open.  “I’ll follow, you try to head him off,” she instructed as Angell took off down the hall towards the stairs.

 

Cory made her way through the apartment, noticing the flapping curtains in the kitchen.  She quickly climbed out the window to see a man climbing down the fire escape.  Grasping her gun in one hand, hoping that the man was not armed, she followed him.  “Freeze,” she called out, hoping that it would slow him down enough to catch him, but it only spurred the man on. 

 

Cory watched as he took off down the alleyway and she jumped the last half of the steps so that she could keep up.  Thankful for her boots, which gave her a little more traction, she began to follow him. 

 

Glancing behind him, the man noticed that she was catching up, so he began to turn over trash cans, in hopes of slowing her down. 

 

Cory dodged the first couple of trash cans and brought her gun up.  “STOP!” she ordered as she got closer.  The man slowed down a bit as he approached the end of the alley, glancing behind in again.  He turned over the final trashcan before exiting the alley.  Cory tried to avoid it, but it caught her left leg and she began to fall.  “Son of a bitch!” she growled as she slid through some sludge resting on the ground.  She scrambled to her feet in enough time to see Angell take the man down in a flying tackle with a grunt. 

 

“Thanks, Jess,” Cory muttered as she covered the downed man as Angell slapped on the cuffs.  Cory turned her attention to the sweating, slightly overweight balding man.  “You know, we just wanted to talk, but now I think that you were doing something wrong,” she drawled as she looked at her ruined slacks.  “You owe me a good pair of pants now.”

 

\----------------------------------

 

Back at the lab, Mac was processing all of the blood that they had found at the scene.  He efficiently ran all of the swabs and compared them to the blood profile of Jay Roze.  He wasn’t surprised when he found that they all matched.  Securing the evidence, he was walking over to Hawkes when his phone beeped.  He looked at the message and changed his course to go down to autopsy.

 

When he walked into the cold room, he glanced at Sid.  “What’d you have for me, Sid?” he asked.

 

“As expected, COD is a single gunshot wound to the back of the head.  Professional hit.  I didn’t find the bullet, but it was a large caliber, fired at a downward angle, so the victim was most likely on his knees when he was killed,” Sid informed him.

 

Mac raised an eyebrow.  “Why do I have the feeling that there is something unusual?”

 

Sid just smirked.  “That’s because I would not have called you down if there wasn’t.  The victim was beaten pretty badly before he was killed.  Within moments of his death, actually.  There wasn’t enough time for the bruising to show before his death.  The interesting thing is that I don’t show any defensive wounds at all.  Mac, he didn’t fight back.”

 

Mac looked at the dead body, trying to reconcile the fact that the man had known he was going to die, but didn’t fight back.  “Anything else?”

 

“I ran a tox screen.  Those results are still pending, but I did pull a couple of foreign fibers and a hair from his clothes,” the medical examiner stated as he handed over the plastic evidence bags to Mac.  “Hopefully, it will be helpful.”

 

Mac nodded as he turned to walk out of the room.  When he got back upstairs, he decided to check in on Hawkes and Danny.  Danny was just walking out of ballistics when he stepped on the elevator.  “Yo, boss!” the younger man called to him. 

 

Mac walked up to Danny, who was fairly bouncing with energy.  “Find something out?”

 

“Got a match on the bullet that I found under the bed.  Matches the bullet that killed Dorian Driscoll.”

 

“The guy that Adam found in the fast food restaurant?” Mac queried.

 

“That’s the one.  Here’s the kicker, though.  We have the gun in our possession.  It was basically gift wrapped and left on our doorstep,” Danny confirmed.  “I’m on my way to evidence to pull it.”

 

Mac nodded.  “I’m going to check in with Hawkes.  See if he’s found anything on the fingerprints.”

 

\----------------------------------

 

Cory and Angell guided Maurice Sadowski into one of the interrogation rooms in the FBI headquarters.  Cory looked at Angell and then looked at her own clothes.  “Give me a few minutes to change.  Luckily, I’ve got some spare clothes here.”

 

Angell just smiled.  “No prob.  How do you want to play this when you get back?”

 

“I’m thinking bad cop, bad cop.  I’m not in the mood to be charitable right now,” Cory drawled as she turned away.

 

Fifteen minutes later, she was back, a look of annoyance on her face.  “I swear he owes me a pair of slacks.  I just bought those and I don’t think that they are salvageable,” she growled.

 

Angell knew not to respond to that.  She just held open the door for Cory to walk in.  As they sat down, Maurice gave them a cool stare.  “May I ask what I’m being held for?”

 

Cory just raised her eyebrow.  “How about assault of a police officer?” she countered quickly.  “All you had to do was open the door, but no, you decided to run instead.  You know Maurice, only the guilty run.”

 

“I have nothing to say,” the man replied.

 

Cory shrugged.  “Fine.  I’ll do the talking then.  You are an inspector with Port Authority and somehow, someone has been smuggling weapons in boxes of Chinese fireworks.  You are responsible for choosing which crates are randomly inspected, are you not?”

 

He just stayed silent. 

 

“You know, silence here will not help you,” Angell told him, knowing that they had to get him to admit to something or they couldn’t hold him.

 

Cory pursed her lips.  “That’s fine, I’ll do more talking.  I have a witness that puts you inside the smuggling ring, working with this man,” she said as she pushed a picture of Etienne across the table.  “Now, I’m a generous person.  Even though you ruined my new pair of slacks, I might be willing to make a deal if you give me some information on him.”

 

“I have nothing to say,” he responded.  “Unless you are going to charge me, I’d like to leave now.”

 

Cory sighed, knowing that she had to cut him loose.  “Fine, but don’t leave town.”

 

\----------------------------------

 

Hawkes was staring at the screen, watching the fingerprints flash by as the computer searched for matches, when Mac walked in.  “Any luck?” Mac asked.

 

Hawkes shook his head.  “So far all of the prints except for three have been the vic’s.  So I’m hoping for a match in AFIS with one of them.”

 

“Anything unusual with the prints?” Mac asked.

 

“Actually, yes.  There was one partial print, covered in some sort of powder on the door frame.  I sent the trace over to Kendall to process, but the print is unusable.  It was too smeared to get a clear print.”

 

Hawkes turned back to the screen as the computer beeped, signaling a match.  “I got a match.  It belongs to an employee at Port Authority.  A Maurice Sadowski.”

 

Mac nodded.  “Send that over to Cory,” he instructed as his phone rang.  “Danny, what did you find?” he answered.

 

_“The gun is gone, Mac.  It’s not in the evidence lockup.”_

 

 


	39. Two Steps Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I obviously do not own CSI: NY. I just own my car, my laptop and my crazy muse who seems to want to write 4 different stories at a time. I also do own any characters that you do not recognize. You can borrow them if you ask permission first! 
> 
> A/N: Okay. Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed! Here’s the next chapter!!! Many thanks to Axellia for the beta. While the title is not actually a song title, it was inspired by Paula Abdul’s “Opposites Attract” where she sings, “I take one step forward, I take two steps back.” What can I say? The weirdest songs get stuck in my head.

 

Chapter 38.

 

** Two Steps Back **

 

As Danny made his way into the evidence lockup, he made the realization the following day was Independence Day.  _Where has this year gone?_ he mused.  Shaking his head, he walked up to the entrance to the evidence warehouse.  “How’s it going?” he asked the young officer on duty.

 

“Good,” the young man answered, taking a look at the small T.V. that he had on his desk.  “How can I help you?”

 

“Yanks playing?” Danny asked.

 

The young man flushed.  “Yes, sir.  The Red Sox. They’re losing right now.  Down four to zero.”

 

Danny just shook his head as he pulled out is badge.  “Detective Messer with the crime lab.  I need to look at some evidence.”

 

“Do you have the case number?”

 

Danny nodded and quickly scribbled the case number down on a piece of paper.  The officer accepted the form, but the crack of a bat distracted both men.  The officer stared intently at the screen as the Yankees filled up the bases.  Danny recognized the intentness of the man’s look.  A true baseball fan.  He sighed and offered, “Why don’t I go and collect what I need?”

 

“Sure, man.  That’s cool with me,” the officer said gratefully.

 

Danny just shook his head as he walked through the warehouse looking for the box of evidence.  After ten minutes of searching, he finally found the carefully packed box.  He pulled it out and set it on the floor.  After he removed the lid, he searched through the bagged evidence carefully and then furrowed his brow when he realized the gun was not in the box.  He searched again, but to no avail.

 

Rocking back on his heels, he withdrew his cell phone and dialed Mac.

 

 _“Danny, what did you find?”_ Mac answered.

 

“The gun is gone, Mac.  It’s not in the evidence lockup,” he informed his boss in disbelief.  “I checked twice and it’s not here.”

 

 _“How is that possible?!”_ Mac exclaimed.

 

“I don’t know, Mac.  I’ll check with the evidence officer and see if I can find anything out.”

 

 _“Call me as soon as you find anything out,”_ Mac instructed.

 

“Will do, boss,” Danny replied before putting the box of evidence back on the shelf.  Quickly, he strode back to the evidence desk, his irritation building with every step.  When he got back to the desk, he flipped the T.V. off and stared at the officer.

 

The officer looked up in irritation, his mouth opened to object when he saw the look on Danny’s face.  “Something wrong?”

 

Danny cocked an eyebrow and looked at the officer’s nametag.  “You could say that, Officer Craig.  My evidence is missing.”

 

“That’s not possible, Detective.  Maybe it was just miss-filed.  I’m sure you’ll find it close to where it is supposed to be,” the officer said flippantly as he turned the T.V. back on.

 

Danny unplugged the T.V. in anger.  “No, _Officer,_ ” he growled.  “You don’t understand.  The box was there, but my evidence was not in the box.  So, you’ve got some explaining to do.”

 

The man looked as if he had been hit in the back of the head with a board.  He stammered, “Here’s, here’s the log of people that have either requested evidence or put evidence down here.  I would know if anyone had walked out with something.”

 

“Obviously not,” Danny shot back as he grabbed the clipboard.  “Is this for today?”  At the man’s nod he continued, “I need the records for the last four days.  And I needed it yesterday.”

 

Officer Craig jumped to his feet.  “Of course.  Right away,” he stammered. 

 

Danny waited impatiently as the man ran to make copies.

 

\----------------------------------

 

Cory was sitting in the interrogation room with Angell, shaking her head.  “That guy…He knows something.   God, why couldn’t I break him?” she wondered aloud.

 

“Because we didn’t have enough ammo,” Angell tried to console her.

 

“I know, but it’s still frustrating,” Cory concurred.  She got a twinkle in her eye and decided to change the subject when she saw a former undercover agent passing by their interrogation room for the third time since Sadowski had left.  “So, how are things going with Ovidio?” she asked, nodding her head at the agent in question.

 

Angell blushed a bit.  “It’s good.  I’m going to meet his parents tomorrow.  We’re supposed to barbeque.”

 

“Wow,” Cory said with a smile.  “Meeting the parents is a big deal.”

 

“I know,” Angell responded.  “They live in Westchester County.”

 

“Oh, they have money.”

 

“Yeah, and advanced degrees.  His dad has a PhD in economics and his mom a PhD in political science.  His brother, Julio, is working on his PhD in international business.”

 

“Whoa, that’s kinda intimidating,” Cory said.

 

“My family doesn’t have any of that.  I come from a family of cops,” Angell responded, an edge in her voice.

 

Cory smiled.  “Jess, trust me.  People with money for the most part are very similar to everyone else.  Especially if they produce someone like Ovidio.”

 

“But, what if I’m not good enough?” Angell responded with worry. 

 

“Then they don’t know what they are missing.  Just give them a chance.  If they’re stuck up snobs, then you don’t have to see them again,” Cory reasoned as her cell phone beeped.  She grabbed it, read the text message and smiled.  “Got him.”

 

“Got who?” Angell responded in confusion. 

 

“Maurice Sadowski.  His fingerprints were at the crime scene.  I wonder if he’s still in the building.”

 

\----------------------------------

 

Mac walked towards the trace lab, searching for Kendall, to see if she had found a match on the powder that had been found on one of the fingerprints.  He looked around the lab, but did not find her familiar blonde head.  He walked up to one of the other lab techs.  “Candice?  Do you know where Kendall is?”

 

The short raven-haired woman looked up at him.  She shook her head.  “Not a clue.  I saw Adam give her some trace.  She logged it in, but then got a phone call.  She asked me if I could process it for her, so I’m running the analysis right now.”

 

Mac nodded.  “What have you found so far?” he asked the young woman, part of his mind hoping that everything was okay with Kendall.

 

“Actually, yes.  The powder that Dr. Hawkes found on the fingerprint is cornstarch.”  Candice had a smirk on her face as she delivered the news.

 

Mac raised an eyebrow.  “Interesting.  I take it there’s more?”

 

She nodded her head.  “I had an idea.  What if the person was wearing powdered latex gloves?  They took off the glove, accidentally leaving a fingerprint, albeit smeared, on the doorframe.  So, I figured that if this was cornstarch from a powered glove, then I might be able to find trace of latex in the powder itself,” she said as she hit a key on the computer and the printer hummed.

 

Mac nodded, impressed with the woman’s reasoning.  “If the person’s hands were moist, there would be slight transfer of the latex to the powder if the person wore the gloves long enough.  Did you find anything?”

 

Candice smiled widely.  “The latex was made of naturally occurring latex and nitrile rubber.  I traced it to Hanson Glove Supply in the Bronx,” she said as she grabbed the paper from the printer.  “Here is their information.  They make lightly powdered exam gloves.”

 

“Nice work,” Mac complimented her as he turned around.

 

He walked back to Hawkes, who was still having no luck with the fingerprints.  “Hawkes, the power was cornstarch from a latex glove.  Want to take a ride to the Bronx?”

 

“Let me get someone to watch over the prints and I’ll be ready.   Any word from Danny or Cory?”

 

Mac shook his head.  “Not yet.  Let’s see if we can tie all of this together and maybe it will make sense.  I’ll get the car.”

 

\----------------------------------

 

Cory and Angell opted to skip the elevator to see if they could catch Sadowski before he left the building.  They ran down the stairs and burst into the lobby, causing a few heads to turn in shock.  Both women scanned the milling crowd that filled the lobby, but neither spotted him.

 

“I’ll take the back, you take the front,” Cory instructed as she quickly turned to the back of the building.  She exited the glass doors, bringing her hand up to shade her eyes in the sunlight as she scanned the people walking back.

 

After a few minutes, she sighed in frustration and hoped that Angell had more luck.  When she walked back in, she blinked her eyes a few times to adjust to the light.  She walked up to the reception desk.  “Hey, Andrew,” she greeted.

 

Andrew smiled at her.  “Well if it isn’t my favorite Texas agent.  How you doing?” he said with a wink.

 

In response Cory grinned as she held up her left hand.  “Remember, I’m taken,” she responded in what had become a habit for the two of them.  “Do you remember seeing the guy that I brought in earlier?”

 

“Overweight, balding and in a bad suit,” Andrew confirmed.

 

“Did you see him leave?”

 

Andrew shook his head.  “No, sorry.”

 

“Damn it,” Cory growled under her breath as she saw Angell walk back in alone.  “Thanks anyway.”  She pushed herself away from the desk and walked toward her. 

 

“Nothing,” Angell said.   “I’ll get an APB out.”

 

“If he’s not halfway to Canada by now,” Cory muttered as she crossed her arms in anger.  “I’ll get it out nationwide.  Why do I feel like I take one step forward and two steps back?”

 

“Because this guy is good, but Cory?  We’re better.  We’ll catch him,” Angell tried to reassure the downtrodden FBI agent. 

 

“Thanks Jess.”  Cory exhaled.  “I’m going to start trying to track the money.  Maybe if I do that, we’ll catch a break.  Call me if you find anything.”

 

“You got it,” Angell said as she headed back out into the warm July air.

 

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is already posted on fanfiction.net, so you can go there to read all the posted chapters, but I am working on more now!!!


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